Living with Water Hampton: A Holistic Approach to Addressing Sea Level Rise and Resiliency
12 JANUARY 2018 HAMPTON DUTCH DIALOGUES REPORT - DRAFT
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 1 Table of Contents
2 Executive Summary
8 Introduction
20 Assessment: Best Data
30 How We Move Forward: Guiding Principles and Values
40 Big Ideas: Goals
46 Place-Driven Analysis
80 Making Better Decisions: Evaluation Tool
84 Legal Framework and Challenges
90 Next Steps
94 Atlas
118 Appendix
REPORT PREPARED BY: WAGGONNER & BALL ARCHITECTURE/ENVIRONMENT 2200 PRYTANIA STREET NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130 +1 504 524 5308 WBAE.COM 2 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 3 Executive Summary
Introduction The Hampton Roads region is one of the most vulnerable areas in the country for impacts from climate change, sea level rise, and recurring flooding. As members of a coastal community, Hampton’s citizens have experienced these impacts, and are sensitive to the challenges they face. Increases in flood insurance rates, repetitive loss from flooding, and lack of safe routes to employment and critical services due to flooding and large storms are all concerns for this city.
Hampton has undertaken this effort to address ongoing stresses, such as nuisance flooding from higher tides, and prepare for future shocks from large weather events through a place- and asset-based approach to resiliency. Resilience is building on the strengths of a community to make it easier to recover from extreme events and relieve everyday stresses. This document details the work completed and progress made as part of Phase I of the Resilient Hampton initiative. This effort assesses the multiple forces of water, incorporates community principles and values, and recommends solutions driven by unique neighborhood characteristics.
Hampton is uniquely poised to tackle these issues, and lead the way to a resilient future. Hampton exists because of its proximity to water, and development of the early economy occurred in relationship to the water: the seafood industry requires water for fishing and crabbing, Langley Air Force Base originally required water to fly over and practice the earliest attempts at aerial bombing, and tourism is based in marinas and beaches. Hampton has a very close cultural connection of water, and a desire to work with the water, and not simply shut it out. Further, Hampton has a long history of education and innovation, with multiple organizations that are equipped to partner with the City to address these issues head-on and provide smart, cutting-edge research and data.
Improving resilience is critical to Hampton’s future success, and the city is committed to doing so by treating water as an asset. This new way of thinking makes water something to work with, and not against. For example, the City should not think of water as a “backyard condition” to build away from, but as an amenity that can enhance aesthetics, property values, and quality of life. Clearly, there are economic opportunities in this way of thinking, as well. However, in order to improve resilience in the city, it is important to understand how water affects the City, and in what capacity.
Assessment In Hampton, multiple forces of water affect the City. Those forces are: ·· Storm surge, wave action, and high water levels associated with storms and low pressure weather systems; ·· Tidal action, the fluctuation of water levels between low and high tide; ·· Stormwater, water generated from rain and storms that can be difficult to infiltrate due to impervious surfaces, and can lead to runoff; and, ·· Groundwater, the water that lies below the surface of ground, and which can impact the ability of the soil to infiltrate stormwater if the groundwater level is high. 4 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Often, these forces are interacting with one another, creating a more complicated and intense water event. This can also make it difficult to determine the cause of the flooding, and thus harder to generate solutions.
These concerns are further exacerbated by climate change and relative sea level rise. Hampton has documented numerous storms over its history, but data show more intense storms occurring more frequently than in the past: eight of the eleven highest storm surges from the last 80 years have occurred in the past twenty. Relative sea level rise, the combination of rising sea levels and subsidence, also greatly impacts Hampton Roads and Hampton. Sewell’s Point in Norfolk has documented one of the greatest changes in relative sea level in the world: 1.45 feet in the last 100 years. With an abundance of available information, it is important that Hampton determine a baseline to plan to going into the future.
How We Move Forward In order to move Hampton forward in a resilient way, a set of guiding principles has been established to inform decision-making.
·· Create Value-Driven Solutions ·· Reinforce Assets ·· Layer Public Benefits ·· Strengthen Partnerships ·· Use Good Data ·· Share Knowledge and Resources
These principles define how the City will become a resilient Hampton. It is an asset- and place-based approach that recognizes the importance of building on assets, making investments based on the unique places and values in Hampton, establishing good communication, receiving community input and good data, and investing in such a way that many benefits are achieved at once.
Values Through a community-driven process, eight values were established that reflect Hampton:
·· Safe: Reducing risk during major events and creating safe, reliable systems. ·· Equitable: Prioritizing strategies that create benefits for all, and strengthening marginalized sectors of the community. ·· Natural: Repairing and protecting natural systems in order to sustain them for the future. ·· Heritage: Appreciating the history and culture of local communities and supporting it into the future. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 5
·· Integrated: Connecting systems in strategic ways to yield multiple benefits. ·· Sufficient: Leveraging public investment to support the local economy and jobs, and being fiscally responsible with city funds. ·· Nimble: Being able to adapt in the face of changing environments, improved data, and new best practices. ·· Innovative: Creating forward-thinking solutions.
These values are further described in the document and are the basis of a new evaluation tool. This tool is one of the most important products of this phase. In order to be a successful, resilient community, Hampton must begin evaluating its choices in the context of its community values and guiding principles. This evaluation tool is unique to Hampton, and is designed to assist decision makers in understanding how closely a project or investment aligns with the city’s stated values. While this tool is not meant to decide whether or not a project should go forward, it can provide an important, clear analysis of the project in terms of resilience.
In addition to the guiding principles and values, the City has developed nine 9 goals that further illustrate the final outcomes Hampton hopes to achieve with our resilience work.
Place-Driven Analysis In order to achieve wide input and understand the difference needs and interests of various neighborhoods, the project team held a number of public workshops and stakeholder meetings. Stakeholders included officials from both local and state governments, non-profits, research and educational institutions, the business community, and regional partners.
Hampton’s neighborhoods were divided into six different areas that share common characteristics and concerns related to water: Newmarket Creek, Harbor-facing, Southwest Branch Back River, Hampton River, Bay Facing, and Low-lying. For example, neighborhoods in the Bay Facing section are likely to experience more issues around large events such as hurricanes and impacts from shoreline erosion, while those neighborhoods in the Hampton River area (which includes Phoebus and Downtown) are more frequently impacted by stormwater runoff and backflow through existing infrastructure. Each study area has major topics to address, as well as recommended strategies to focus on.
Broadly, proposed strategies for improving resilience fall into four categories: policy, education and communication, physical, and operations and maintenance. Some strategies apply widely across the city, such as enhanced education, and some are more applicable to specific locations. Each of these categories is explored in depth and suggested strategies are provided.
Based on the feedback and analysis the project team took from the various meetings and workshops, several potential focus areas are recommended for Phase II. Each represents a specific type of issue that Hampton faces, and includes Newmarket Creek to Langley Air 6 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Force Base, Downtown Hampton, Fox Hill and Riverdale, and Buckroe Beach and the boardwalk. Along with moving on to Phase II, there are a number of next steps the city needs to undertake:
·· Amend the Hampton Community Plan to reflect the work of this document and incorporate the recommendations. ·· Undertake a comprehensive effort to review and amend City codes and ordinances to support the goals and objectives adopted into the Hampton Community Plan from this document. ·· Refine the “evaluation tool” as necessary and institutionalize its use as an integral part of decision making for public projects. ·· Pursue changes to legal frameworks at the State level, if necessary. ·· Set “resiliency targets” for the community and establish a process to track and measure our progress. ·· Identify one or two geographic “focus areas” which will be the subject of the Phase II work. Phase II work will take a more detailed look at the identified geographic “focus areas” to apply what we have learned in Phase I. The goal for these areas will be development of a holistic set of strategies that can be implemented. ·· Continue to work with our partners so we continue to learn, share, innovate and advocate for regional progress on sea level rise and resiliency issues. ·· Work with our partners to develop a community education program which raises awareness with regards to the value of being a resilient community. In addition, the education program will identify strategies and action items applicable to businesses, individual homeowners, institutions and other stakeholders. ·· Continue to work with Langley Air Force Base to develop a resiliency component to the existing Joint Land Use Study. ·· Establish and support a “Hampton Resilience Partnership” in order to create a formal structure to bring community, business, academic and regional partners together on a formal basis to assist in moving our resiliency goals forward.
The goals, guiding principles, values, and strategies outlined in this document form the foundation of the City’s new perspective on what it means to be Resilient Hampton. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 7 Introduction Rich Edges The edges of the Hampton River display a rich variety of city assets. From marinas for recreation and industry to educational assets such as museums and universities, Hampton's miles of waterfront touch every aspect of life and culture. 10 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Williamsburg
Chesapeake Bay
Hampton
Newport News James River
Atlantic Norfolk Ocean 0-3 ft Virginia Portsmouth Chesapeake 4-7 ft Beach 8-11 ft 12-15 ft 16-19 ft 20-23 ft 24-27+ ft Elevation
Chesapeake Bay
Hampton
James River
Atlantic Ocean
13 ft inundation 8 ft inundation Federal facilities Industrial zones Interstate Secondary roads Infrastructure at Risk A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 11 Purpose of Document
Resilience is the bolstering of a community’s inherent strengths in order to Opposite, top: The topography (elevation) of alleviate chronic stresses and enable recovery from extreme events and shocks the Hampton Roads region has in ways that makes the community even stronger than before. Each place’s been formed from geological unique natural features, built environment, and human capital should shape and climactic events dating its strategy for resilience. The purpose of this document is to bring forward a back millions of years. The Chesapeake Bay was formed by set of community-driven values and attributes, criteria by which to measure the flooding of the Susquehanna River Valley at the end of the how well proposed strategies adhere to Hampton’s character and build upon 1 its existing assets. This analysis identifies themes and issues which apply last ice age. A bolide, or meteor, which struck the southern regionally and city-wide, but also captures the specific character of the city's portion of the bay around 35 diverse neighborhoods. The content of this document is not yet prescribing million years ago continues to solutions for a resilient Hampton, but instead summarizes Hampton’s influence the Hampton Roads region, with some speculation strengths and assets as well as its current challenges. that subsidence in the area may be attributed to compaction of 2 Hampton faces a unique set of challenges based on multiple – and often material in the impact crater. Running parallel to the western combined – forces of water. Sea level rise and increased precipitation rim of the crater, the Suffolk amplify storm surge, surface runoff, and tidal action, as well as fluctuations Scarp (depicted in red and gray in groundwater levels, which can lead to subsidence. The complex forces tones on the map) is an elevated landform that marks the edge causing the city’s chronic flooding are sometimes unclear and may lead to of the oceanfront during the a misunderstanding of the effectiveness of potential solutions. Without a warming period preceding the strategy to address these challenges, the city’s character and economy are last ice age. under threat. Increasing flood insurance rates and repetitive loss threaten the Opposite, bottom: character of Hampton’s varied communities as long-standing residents are The Hampton Roads region displaced. With 48 cents of every dollar in Hampton’s economy associated is an important natural port and strategic area for national with government work, securing existing military and government assets is defense. Measures must be taken critical in the short-term, as is long-term diversification of industries and to protect important regional economic opportunities. assets which are currently at risk.
However, in the face of these challenges, Hampton already has some of the best assets and resources for resilience and adaptation. Historically a city of innovation, Hampton has a progressive culture of creative problem-solving. From the NASA Langley Research Center to multiple university and not-for- profit institutes, many organizations are already documenting changing local conditions. This document is designed to support existing and ongoing local efforts by the City, region, and stakeholders. The evaluation tool developed through this document aims to provide a simple method for communicating a potential project’s strengths and weaknesses relative to Hampton’s values. It is a resource to aid and inform investment decisions. Additionally, continued community participation will be needed in planning and implementation efforts. Just as sea level rise projections will change over time, constant adaptation is necessary to contend with the environmental challenges of today. 12 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON First From the Sea, First to the Stars
The City of Hampton is a coastal community located in the southeast corner of the Below: An 1861 view of the Chesapeake Commonwealth of Virginia, at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The first inhabitants Bay during the Civil War of present-day Hampton were Algonquian Native Americans, who established the illustrates Fort Monroe's Kecoughtan settlement in between the Hampton River and Chesapeake Bay. In 1610, strategic location at the mouth of English colonists seized this village and established their own town, calling it Hampton. the James River. (Image source: David Rumsey Historical Map Considered the oldest continuously occupied English settlement in the United States, Collection3) the modern history of Hampton traces back to the earliest explorers who came to this country from England. Over the course of four centuries, this legacy carries national and international significance, including pivotal events in the creation and evolution of the country. Hampton has shaped the history of commerce and national defense, slavery and emancipation, the first free education in America, and human exploration and space flight.
Hampton is situated at the center of the Hampton Roads region, which is home to approximately 1.7 million residents. In the city, nearly 140,000 people live on just over 50 square miles. Hampton boasts 124 miles of navigable waterfront, and is surrounded by water bodies on three sides: the Hampton Roads harbor to the south, Chesapeake Bay to the east, and the Back River/York River to the north. Located where the James, York, Nanesmond, and Elizabeth Rivers converge into the Chesapeake Bay, the Hampton Roads region is one of the world’s largest natural harbors.
Hampton A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 13
Culture of Water
Watermen and businessmen, soldiers and seamen, settlers and visitors – the Hampton Below, left: Oyster pile at J.S. Darling & Roads region was settled for its location on one of the largest, deepest natural harbors Co. Oyster Planters, c. 1900. in the world. Many have been drawn to the shores of Hampton for its abundance and (Image source: Hampton History beauty at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay since. Museum) Below, right: The earliest settlements in Hampton appeared along the water. Fish camps continue to Mill Creek at sunrise, 2017. dot the shoreline, as these waters have been busy with generations of watermen providing (Image source: Daily Press the nation's best blue crabs and oysters. Sunbathers have flocked to the wide, sandy contributor Verycoolnin) beaches and marinas, and yacht clubs flourish still today. The Hampton Cup Regatta, Bottom, left: an event that has run since the 1920s, draws vessels from all across the United States. Lighthouse at the Back River Industry has valued Hampton’s favorable location and sheltered waters, as has the Air (Grandview). (Image source: Hampton History Museum) Force, for flying out over the water. Even infamous pirate Blackbeard once roamed the waters around Hampton. The Grandview Lighthouse stood for 127 years as both a guide Bottom, right: to those on the water and an important gathering place for the community. Although Bay Shore Park at Buckroe. (Image source: Hampton History ultimately taken by erosion and a series of storms, it remains a symbol of a strong coastal Museum) community.
Storms and high tides are a part of coastal life. When developing solutions to address future conditions, it is essential to reflect on Hampton’s culture and relationship with water, and to reconnect and strengthen this relationship. 14 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
National Defense
Hampton has historically been, and remains today, a key site for national defense. In 1607, English explorers and settlers marked Point Comfort (commonly referred to as Old Point Comfort), the present-day site of Fort Monroe, as a key strategic defense point for the harbor. Completed in 1834 and named for President James Monroe, the fort’s construction began with slave labor, then transitioned to use of military convicts. During the Civil War, the Union-controlled fort became a haven for emancipation after three enslaved men escaped the Confederate Army and fled to Fort Monroe. Declaring the men “contraband of war,” General Benjamin Butler refused to return the slaves. By the end of the war, over 10,000 former slaves lived in tents outside of “Freedom’s Fortress.”
Until 2011, when the U.S. Army turned control of Fort Monroe over to the Commonwealth of Virginia, Old Point Comfort had served as a point of defense for nearly four centuries. Though no longer an active military base – today the site is Fort Monroe National Monument – the fort remains a key asset to Hampton and the surrounding region for its historical, educational, cultural, and architectural value. Operated through a partnership between the National Park Service, Fort Monroe Authority, and City of Hampton, Fort Monroe is a symbol of Hampton’s history and military heritage.
The modern chapter of Hampton’s role in national defense and research began in 1915, at the start of World War I, when Congress established the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). In 1916, the federal government selected a site along the Back River because of its relatively flat topography and proximity to the coast. Opened in 1917, Langley Air Force Base is one of the first military sites in the world specifically constructed for flight. A century later, Langley is now the oldest continually active air force base in the world, and is the oldest airfield in Virginia. In 2010, the base joined with Fort Eustis to form Joint Base Langley- Top: Fort Monroe, circa 1900. (Image The historic battle of the source: The New York Public Eustis. Entering its second century, Langley maintains 5 its mission of fast global deployment and air superiority ironclads took place off Library Digital Collections ) Hampton's shores. (Image for the United States. For the past 100 years, Hampton's source: The New York Public Bottom: proud community has supported these world-class Library Digital Collections4) A F-22A Raptor housed at national defense installations. These critical assets must be Langley Air Force Base flies over protected from changing climates and rising seas. Center: Fort Monroe. (Image source: Air The Atlantic Fleet amassed near Combat Command6) A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 15
Education
Hampton has a long history of innovation in education, research, and technological development, which should be applied to its current challenges from changing climates and rising seas. During and after the Civil War, Hampton became a national center of equitable education for freed slaves. In 1861, at the start of the Civil War, Fort Monroe enacted the ‘Contraband of War’ decision. As the number of freedmen who camped in the area grew well into the thousands, it became clear a school was needed. The first classroom for these ‘contraband’ students was under the shade of a young oak tree. This tree later served as the first site in the South for the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. Named Emancipation Oak, the tree sits on the campus of present-day Hampton University, and stands as a lasting symbol of the promise of education for all.
Innovation
The end of another war also led Hampton to become an international leader in aeronautics research and technology, ushering in the space age. In 1917, a year before World War I ended, Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory was established near the northeastern edge of Hampton along the Back River. Langley became the nation’s first civilian facility dedicated to researching flight. After four decades of innovation and development, the program shifted to space research, becoming NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Today, NASA’s Langley Research Center (LaRC) drives work related to study the planet’s changing climate. With the Atmospheric Science Data Center, LaRC is responsible for processing, archiving, and distributing NASA earth science data about radiation, clouds, aerosols, and tropospheric compositions. This uniquely situates Top: in 1932. (Image source: NASA Langley as a research partner for the City of A mathematical geography Smithsonian National Air and class at Hampton Institute, now Space Museum8) Hampton, helping study climate data that could inform known as Hampton University. critical infrastructure decisions. (Image source: Library of Bottom: Congress7) SAGE III, a climate monitoring instrument developed at NASA Center: Langley, was launched to the NACA's Full Scale Tunnel International Space Station in at Langley Research Center 2017. (Image source: NASA9) 16 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Preparing for the Future
Hampton is seeking solutions to anticipate future shocks from large events while addressing ongoing stresses, such as increasing nuisance flooding from higher tides and stronger rainfalls. Though Hampton has weathered a number of significant storms over the years – notably Hurricane Isabel in 2003 – the Habitation city has the advantage of approaching resilience planning from a post-disaster recovery lens before a disaster occurs, unlike cities such as New Orleans post-Katrina or New York City post-Sandy, who planned after the event. Addressing the complex threats facing the City of Hampton will require new ways of thinking, working, and learning. Solutions that only address one issue will no longer justify the investment made in them. Instead, resilient solutions will require a holistic approach which accounts for environmental, social, Networks and financial inputs. To that end, this document is the first step in creating a strategy for a resilient city by identifying both threats and community values.
To begin the resilient design process, the cities of Hampton and Norfolk held a five-day workshop called Dutch Dialogues Virginia: Life at Sea Level. The Dutch Dialogue approach to “living with water” is an innovative method that first emerged in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the New Orleans region. A partnership between Waggonner & Ball and the Royal Netherlands Ground Embassy brought together a team of experts from the Netherlands with local professionals to assist in New Orleans’ efforts to better prepare its community post-Katrina. In June 2015, the City of Norfolk, the City of Hampton, the Layered Planning Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, and various other partners A holistic new approach outlines principles for water management, regional planning, and brought the Dutch Dialogues approach to Hampton Roads. Hampton and urban design that are specific to Hampton, Norfolk were chosen as the “pilot” cities around which the workshop was developed out of a process that considers focused. At the conclusion of this five-day session, the Mayors and City local soils, water, and biodiversity, as well as infrastructure networks and land use. Managers of Hampton and Norfolk pledged to continue the momentum and work together to lead the region toward a more resilient future.
Focusing on Newmarket Creek – a connective element spanning much of the city - the Dutch Dialogues work also organized around guiding concepts:
·· Scale. Start from a larger perspective in scale as well as time. Connect long- term perspective with concrete, short-term measures. ·· Innovate. Dare to think outside the box. ·· Work with the system, not against it. Analyze the system; when you understand how it works, you can work along with it. ·· Create multiple benefits. Don’t accept solutions that only work. Strive for solutions that both work and add value. ·· Value water. Manage and utilize water wisely. Retain, store, and drain. ·· Draw. Use drawing as a communication tool between different disciplines and audiences. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 17
Integrated resilience planning requires a deeper understanding of how different layered systems interact. Soils and water are the basis for planning and designing infrastructure networks, which in turn shape the urban fabric and human activity. Human intervention and policy change the shape of the land and the flow of water and nutrients across the landscape. These interactions create a delicate balance. Water has always been an integral part of Hampton’s history, culture, and livelihood. Therefore, local water systems should not only be managed to reduce flood risk and provide basic utility, but should also continue to support economic development and enhance quality of life by supporting a broader range of human activities and uses as well as wildlife and habitats. Creating strong cities and landscapes requires increased coordination, knowledge sharing, and collaboration in the realms of planning, design and construction, and management.
Dutch Dialogues Virginia: Life at Sea Level
DUTCH DIALOGUES WORK FOCUSED ON UTILIZING NEWMARKET CREEK AS A CONNECTIVE ELEMENT THROUGHOUT HAMPTON. MERCURY BOULEVARD - WHICH LOOSELY PARALLELS NEWMARKET CREEK - CONTAINS MANY OF THE CITY'S ECONOMIC ASSETS. AT HINGE POINTS WHERE THE CREEK AND THE BOULEVARD INTERSECT (SHOWN AS STARS IN THE DRAWING TO THE RIGHT), THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR REDEVELOPMENT.
IN MANY AREAS OF THE CITY, NEWMARKET CREEK IS SEEN AS A BACKYARD CONDITION. THE TEAM ALSO LOOKED AT USING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INSERTED INTO NEIGHBORHOODS TO CREATE ACCESS POINTS FOR THE CREEK. AS AREAS AROUND THE CREEK ARE REDEVELOPED, NEW DEVELOPMENT COULD FACE THE CREEK, USING IT AS AN ASSET INSTEAD OF REGARDING IT AS A THREAT. 18 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Improving resilience is critical to the future success of Hampton and its neighboring coastal communities. With changes in sea levels and climate already documented in the area, maintaining the status-quo in stormwater management will not sustain the city’s long-term viability either physically or economically. However, the development of a resilience strategy will provide the City and its citizens with a path toward a more adaptable city, better able to respond to stresses and threats as they arise. To be successful, these resilience initiatives must also reflect the specific character of the diverse neighborhoods and areas of the city.
As a city that lives and works on the water, Hampton’s citizenry is already sensitive to the challenges they face. Increased instances of tidal flooding, also known as “sunny day flooding,” affect people’s ability to access both employment and critical services. Larger and more frequent storm surge during extreme events such as hurricanes and nor’easters can cause extensive property damage; patterns of repetitive loss can already be observed in areas prone to damage from such events. Increases in flood insurance rates combined with decreasing property values are threats felt through the community at large. Compounding these threats is the need to secure the area’s critical assets and industries, not the least of which is the area’s national defense installations.
However, the presence of key national assets is precisely what makes Hampton a model community for adaptation and resilience. A proactive approach will prepare Hampton for the future, instead of working to maintain outmoded systems and technologies. This report, prepared through a series of community Below: and stakeholder meetings, identifies community-driven values around which Hampton Coliseum as seen from Newmarket Creek. to build a resilience strategy. Furthermore, the report lays out the development of an evaluation tool with which the City can gauge the benefit of future Opposite: investment. This tool will require further testing and development alongside Comparing observed street flooding, repetitive loss, and continued community participation. Reinforcing the idea of resilience, the 100-year floodplain can adaptation of the strategy is also necessary to contend with environmental, help illustrate the areas most economic, and social challenges in Hampton over time. susceptible to future risk. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 19
Repetitive Loss & Flooded Intersections Repetitive Loss Cluster Repetitive Loss Zone Recorded Flooding 100-Year Floodplain Assessment Best Data Working and Playing on the Water Water is a driver of both income and recreation for Hampton. Buckroe Beach has been a recreation destination for over a century. 22 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Challenges
The Hampton Roads region has been widely recognized as one of the most vulnerable areas of the country in terms of potential impacts from climate change, sea level rise, and recurring flood events. The frequency and severity of these events has become a significant threat to both the economy and quality of life in the region. Additionally, vital historical and national defense assets within the City of Hampton will be threatened over time.
Situated at the mouth of the James River and Chesapeake Bay just before meeting the Atlantic Ocean, Hampton is surrounded by multiple forces of water: storm surge, tidal action (which also affects local rivers and creeks) , stormwater, and groundwater. Like other coastal areas, Hampton is exposed to hazards that include major storm events - such as hurricanes and nor'easters - with subsequent high winds, waves, and surges. High water levels can cause flooding as well as erosion, potentially leading to extensive damage and leaving areas more susceptible to threats from future events. Combinations of these Multiple Forces Of Water forces of water have affected the city in different ways over time, but increasing at Work in Hampton frequency of flood events has raised concern about what should be considered Understanding how these complex and differing forces the "new normal." When planning for resilience, it is critical to understand interact and compound is a each force of water, as well as how they are interrelated. crucial first step to addressing resiliency.
INCREASED PRECIPITATION
SURFACE RUNOFF
STORM SURGE
RISING GROUNDWATER TIDES A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 23
Forces of Water
Storm surge, with its accompanying wave action and high water levels, is destructive and sudden, and is different from other forces of water that threaten Hampton. As sea levels rise, higher water will bring higher waves and more flooding. Wave action against the shore will also cause greater erosion, further exacerbated by deeper waves from higher water. These higher waves and water levels will also spread inland, reaching properties that were previously above flood levels. Storms also bring high winds, which cause damage farther inland than flooding, and can affect a greater number of properties and infrastructure.
Tidal action, the process of water levels fluctuating between low and high Storm Surge tides, is perhaps the most important influence on other forces of water. Storm surge or intense rainfall during low tide results in very different impacts compared to those events occurring when the tide is high. When storms hit during high tide, they are more intense; higher water levels bring higher waves, and water spreads farther inland. Stacking tides, or high tides that aggregate over several cycles, can occur during rainstorms or extreme events, and can cause more when stormwater has nowhere to drain. In Hampton, tidal action affects both coastal zones as well as inland areas situated close to the rivers, creeks, and inlets throughout the city. This impacts the drainage system as well. During high tide, water can backflow into drainage outfalls. In some areas of the city, this means that stormwater cannot flow out into waterways and becomes backed up. With nowhere to go, stormwater creates ponds at full Tidal Action catch basins, or backs up and out of manholes.
Stormwater is a challenging force to manage in any city, and places stress on the existing drainage system. Some water from rainstorms is absorbed by the ground, but much of Hampton is developed or paved with surfaces that prevent water from infiltrating into the soil. This condition creates runoff, which flows across impervious surfaces such as roadways, parking lots, and roofs, and can easily overload parts of the drainage system. Even higher inland areas, while away from the coast, can face the threat of flooding if high tides prevent the discharge of stormwater into surrounding waterways. Stormwater Groundwater, an invisible force, impacts the subsurface foundation of the city. Much of Hampton has high, or shallow, groundwater levels, meaning the depth to the water table is only a few feet below the surface of the ground. The distance between groundwater and the ground surface is a determining factor for how much water soils can store. When seas rise, groundwater levels rise as well, creating areas that are regularly wet and cannot absorb stormwater. At the same time, impervious areas that do not allow water to infiltrate can cause subsidence, which is the gradual drying out, compaction, and sinking of hydric soils. Subsidence leads to increased flood risk as grounds continue to sink over time. Conversely, high groundwater levels, combined with poorly infiltrating soils, can prevent temporary water storage, exacerbating flooding. Groundwater 24 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Pollution can also result from any force of water. Stormwater runoff carries pollutants from impervious surfaces across the city, which eventually enters local waterways. Many waterways around Hampton are condemned (non- fishable), or have generally poor water quality. Furthermore, when the drainage system backs up, polluted water can enter city streets or homeowner’s yards.
When flash flooding or extreme events occur, they can bring additional toxins into local water sources, such as oil and gas from flooded cars. Resilient systems - such as some green infrastructure - can help improve water quality by using plants to slow and filter stormwater runoff before it reaches waterways. This, in turn, can lead to improved conditions for water-based economies such as commercial fishing.
Effects of Forces of Water in Hampton
WAVE ACTION STORMWATER RUNOFF STRONG WINDS DURING MAJOR EVENTS CAN RAISE THE SEA LEVEL JUST AS WATER FLOWS OFF THE PLASTIC SURFACE OF AN AND CREATE STRONGER WAVE ACTION. STORM SURGE CAN OVERTOP UMBRELLA, SO TOO IT FLOWS OFF OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACES SUCH WALLS AND ERODE SHORELINES. (IMAGE SOURCE: DAILY PRESS10) AS ROOFS AND PAVED STREETS. THE MORE IMPERVIOUS SURFACE, THE MORE STORMWATER RUNOFF NEEDS TO BE MANAGED. (IMAGE SOURCE: DAILY PRESS11)
BACKFLOW THROUGH INFRASTRUCTURE STANDING WATER HIGH TIDES OR COMBINATIONS OF HIGH TIDES WITH RAIN EVENTS IN AREAS WITH HYDRIC SOILS OR WHERE THE GROUNDWATER IS CAN LEAD TO WATER FLOWING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION THROUGH CLOSE TO THE SURFACE, SATURATED SOILS DO NOT ALLOW FOR DRAINAGE PIPES. (IMAGE SOURCE: DAILY PRESS10) INFILTRATION OF RAINWATER. THIS CAN RESULT IN STANDING SURFACE WATER, EVEN IN PERVIOUS AREAS. STORM TIDE
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 25
Climate Change and Relative SeaSTORM Level Rise TIDE With climate change, sea levels are expected to rise in the ocean, bay, and rivers that encompass Hampton. Recently, storms that have affected the city have also increased in frequency and intensity. Eight of the city's eleven 6 of the highest storm surges over the past 80 years have occurred during the last highest tidal twenty years. Even a moderate tropical storm or nor’easter can become a major events threat. Nor’easters can also last multiple tide cycles, which vastly increases the amount of high water levels, as described earlier in the stacking tides effect. occurred Greater flooding farther inland will result. within the last
Relative sea level rise, which is rising waters combined with subsidence, Hurricane Isabel Surge 13 years poses a double threat to Hampton. Increasing water levels bring higher high tides, and subsidence results in sinking land. This accelerated risk means that flooding will reach higher elevations at a faster rate. A local example from the other side of the James River is Sewell’s Point in Norfolk: this area had 6 of the a relative sea level rise of 1.45 feet over the past 100 years, one of the largest highest tidal documented changes in the world. events Intense rain has also occurred more frequently than in the past. Hampton has occurred been experiencing fairly frequent 100-year flooding events, or those with a 1% chance of occurring each year. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew caused 1,000-year within the last flooding locally, which has a 0.1% annual chance. What was once a "100-year" Stacking Nor'easter Tide 13 years might, in reality, now occur once every decade. Crucial to resilient adaptation is helping the community shift to prepare for more regular and intense rain Stacking tides events. Hampton's citizens have been conditioned to prepare for major storm Comparing the data between a hurricane and events as a fact of life for their coastal community. However, "nuisance" a nor'reaster, one can see that the duration flooding from high tides or rain events (or a combination of the two), and the of a nor'easter can be much longer than the increased frequency of these events, has been more difficult for residents to duration of a hurricane. Instead of a spike in surge - as seen during Hurricane Isabel - adapt to and accept. nor'easters last more tide cycles, with high tides building over several tide cycles. (Source: Rising seas and increasing storms will also impact ecosystems. Hampton has a NOAA Sewell's Point Tide Gauge Norfolk) range of different zones, from aquatic, to coastal edge and shoreline, as well as upland, and urban or developed. Over time, this could mean the loss of native species that provide valuable ecosystem services.
Rising + Sinking = Relative Sea Tides Land Level (Sea Level Rise) (Subsidence) 26 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
9' Highest 8'
7'
6' High
5'
4'
Minimum Feet Above Sea Level Above Feet 3'
2' Historic
1'
0' 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070 2080 2090 2100 Projecting Sea Level Rise The Virginia Institute of Marine Science has developed four scenarios of sea-level rise that also account for projected land subsidence in southeastern Virginia. The scenarios represent trajectories based on a combination of factors: ·· Historic: Based on long-term (100 years or more) rates of sea level rise and not incorporating acceleration. ·· Low: Based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) model with conservative estimates of future greenhouse gas emissions. ·· High: Based on upper-end sea level rise projections using relationships between sea level observations and air temperature. ·· Highest: Based on maximum possible glacial melting and ice-sheet loss combined with estimated consequences of global warming. (Source: VIMS Relative Sea Level Rise Projection for Southeast Virginia12)
within past 20 years 10' 10.0 9.2 Feet (2009 100-Year Flood Plain) 8' 8.1 8.0 7.9 7.7 7.2 7.5 6.7 6.7 6.8 6' 6.4 6.5 6.5 6.0 4' 4.0 2' 2.0 Elevation (MLLW, feet) (MLLW, Elevation 0' Elevation (MLLW, Feet) (MLLW, Elevation 0.0 1933 1936 1962 1978 1998 2003 2006 2009 2011 2012 2015 Hurricane Hurricane Ash Nor’easter Nor’easter Hurricane Nor’easter Nor’easter Hurricane Hurricane Hurricane Wednesday Isabel Irene Sandy Joaquin Increasing Storm Events The graph above tracks the storm surge during major area events. Eight of the eleven highest storm surges have occurred in the last twenty years. (Source: NOAA Sewell's Point Tide Gauge Norfolk) A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 27
9' Highest 8'
7'
6' High
5'
4'
Feet Above Sea Level Above Feet 3' Minimum
2' Historic
1'
0' 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070 2080 2090 2100 Planning for Sea Level Rise While sea level rise projections have some level of variability over time, looking at the life span of a potential project relative to sea level rise can help determine the return on investment for the project. Data in this report references the "high" scenario, which accounts for upper-end sea level rise projections combined projected subsidence. (Source: VIMS Relative Sea Level Rise Projection for Southeast Virginia12)
SEA LEVEL RISE (2070) +/- 4.10’ MHW + 3.0’ MEAN HIGH WATER EXISTING GRADE 1.10’ NAVD88
MEAN LOW WATER 2.75’ TIDAL RANGE -1.65’ NAVD88
Designing for Future Water Levels The diagram above illustrates the water level (Mean High Water) in 2070 with 3' of relative sea level rise, the "high" curve in the top graphs. 28 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Design Considerations
With dynamic water systems, it is important to establish will be dry. For example, a large rain garden would hold baseline data from which to project future conditions. rainfall and let it slowly infiltrate into the ground instead Much of this base data is collected through monitoring of of going into the storm drain. Within one or two days, local tidal conditions. To collect data, both the National depending on the amount of rainfall, the water would Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have drained into the soil, and the site would be dry again. and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have installed Then it would look like a lush landscape rather than a monitoring stations in the area. NOAA maintains a permanent pond. With this type of project, water must station that records water levels and meteorology at either be drained or infiltrate into the ground within 72 Sewell's Point, just across the James River in Norfolk. hours, ideally 48, to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. NASA uses Sewell's Point data for their Flood Impact Analysis Tool, as it is the closest and most comparable Buildings can also be designed to weather periodic coastal tide gauge for Hampton. Additionally, the USGS inundation through either wet or dry floodproofing has tide gauges in Hampton River, Newmarket Creek, techniques. Wet floodproofing strategically allows water and Brick Kiln Creek to study tidal conditions farther to enter the building in an area below the base flood inland. Tidal data is used to establish the tidal range, elevation (BFE). Dry floodproofing, by contrast, includes which includes an average of low and high tides. protective measures which prevent water from entering the building. Floodproofing requirements and measures With a range of predictions for sea level rise, many frequently tie to FEMA flood insurance rate maps which, municipalities also work with consultants and researchers in turn, can tie into local building codes. to establish a baseline for sea level rise. In Hampton, the "high" curve on the VIMS sea level rise projections Resilience strategies require a shift in the approach to estimates three feet of sea level rise by 2070. The diagram water management. The current strategy of piping and at the bottom of the previous page depicts how three feet draining stormwater will become less effective as sea levels of sea level rise compares to today's mean high water level. rise. Methods for slowing, storing, and - when possible - discharging water can create a living water system with Facing the future risk of sea level rise, some areas may greater capacity for adaptation and stress absorption. need to plan for permanent inundation, while others areas - which may not currently experience flooding - may become periodically inundated. By designating some zones for permanent inundation and designing others for periodic inundation, it may be possible to reduce risk to other areas in the city where even periodic inundation is unacceptable, such as Hampton.
Permanent inundation refers to areas that will be frequently flooded, with the expectation that these areas can and will stay wet most of the time. An example would be the creation of a detention pond, which could be designed with sufficient storage capacity to hold additional water during a storm.
Periodic inundation refers to areas designated or designed for occasional flooding. Designing for periodic inundation - where water would be temporarily stored in the landscape until the storm passes - requires an understanding of how the water will infiltrate into the soil, making the site dry again. In this approach, water is stored, or detained, temporarily; most of the time the site A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 29
Slow Store Discharge (when possible) Rooftops, driveways, streets, and sidewalks Large-scale detention and retention features When rain and high tide events coincide, can be redesigned to catch rain where it falls, integrated into the landscape and public draining of water may not be possible because and to allow some of that water to soak into spaces provides additional storage capacity the outfall height of current pipes is below the ground. A healthy urban tree canopy for both runoff and high tides. These spaces the water level. By creating places to store also slows the flow of water and improves can be designed for periodic inundation and, water, it can be safely and efficiently drained environmental quality. Passing water slowly when dry, can serve as spaces for recreation. during dry weather and/or low tides. through plant materials (such as in bioswales) Stored water can also be used or reused for can also help clean water and improve water purposes such as irrigation. quality.
Minimum Dry Weather, Low Tide Dry weather and low tides allow water which was stored during storm events to discharge into local water bodies. Stored water can also be used for irrigation or to recharge groundwater during dry stretches.
Maximum Wet Weather, High Tide Though water may not drain during combination events, designating storage spaces for water helps put water in logical places and lessens flood damage to houses and other financial assets.
Extreme Major Event, Storm Surge Providing water storage areas and implementing architectural adaptations can lessen damages during large storm events. Areas that are not normally wet are allowed to flood during extreme events. How We Move Forward Guiding Principles and Values Multifunctional Systems In Foxhill, as with other low-lying areas in Hampton, marshes protect shorelines from erosion, provide habitat for wildlife, and create nature-rich environments appreciated by the area's residents. 32 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Guiding Principles
Hampton's place-based approach is to analyze history, existing systems, and cultural influences; develop a resilience strategy using both good data and broad community inputs; illustrate a vision for a resilient Hampton; and provide a framework for implementation with short-, medium-, and long-term goals. This report is the culmination of the first phase of this work: developing city-wide goals and criteria. It provides a broad overview of the challenges facing the city and captures the values of the city’s citizens and leadership. Through this initial analysis, guiding principles have been established for improving city resilience:
Create Value-Driven Solutions Resilient solutions fit their place. Hampton is not seeking one-size-fits- all solutions, but instead solutions that reinforce the specific values of the community. Through this process and driven by input from the Hampton community and stakeholders, we have established eight primary values:
1. Safe 2. Equitable 3. Natural 4. Heritage 5. Integrated 6. Sufficient 7. Nimble 8. Innovative
The following section "Values" explains these in more detail. An evaluation tool based on these eight values, discussed in a separate document, provides a means for assessing how well potential projects respond to these criteria. The evaluation tool is intended to help analyze projects that are in the planning phase, and to determine if they would be a good fit. Once a project has been implemented, it is possible to replicate that project, or principles of that project, at other locations in Hampton - and eventually, throughout the region. However, each project should be assessed on an individual basis to ensure it is a smart fit with each specific location.
Reinforce Assets A city of historical, educational, and military significance, Hampton has a number of existing assets. Efforts to strengthen the city’s resiliency should build upon these assets, facilitating their continued operation and growth. Networks connecting people to these assets are also of prime importance. A pattern of connecting arteries and nodes of activity can be visibly read throughout Hampton’s development and continues to underpin the area’s urban structure. These connecting corridors and commercial centers are natural paths of travel and areas of congregation already recognized by the community and should be the basis for a resilient network. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 33
Layered on top of these paths and centers are additional assets of economic, historic, and/or cultural value. These are the resources which bring people to the area for work, education, community, and/or recreation. The City of Hampton has defined the following urban development areas: Buckroe, Coliseum Central, Downtown, Fort Monroe, Kecoughtan Road Corridor, North King Street Corridor, and Phoebus. Fort Monroe, once an Army base, is now an asset for culture and recreation, as are Hampton Coliseum and Hampton Convention Center. Prime assets for economy and jobs include the following major employers:13
Alcoa Howmet, castings, gas turbine & engine parts Craft Machine Works, Inc., construction machinery Hampton University, higher education Langley Air Force Base, federal government NASA Langley Research Center, federal government Measurement Specialists, Inc., sensors National Institute of Aerospace, research & development, education Riverside Regional Medical Centers, medical facilities Science Systems and Applications, Inc., aerospace, modeling, & simulation Sentara Healthcare, medical facilities Hampton VA Medical Center, medical facilities Sprint, telecommunications Thomas Nelson Community College, higher education Verizon Communications, telecommunications
In addition to these named assets are Hampton’s network of public schools, community centers, and public safety facilities.
Layer Public Benefits Smart investments are those which answer a number of needs and provide a good return for the investor. Projects which utilize taxpayer money need to provide a good return on investment for the Hampton community by not only reducing risk but also enhancing quality of life. Strategies should consider financial, social, and environmental factors collectively to maximize project benefits.
Strengthen Partnerships The challenges facing Hampton are also regional challenges. As water does not know political bounds, it is imperative that adjoining municipalities work together to address systems in a holistic manner. Due to their proximity, Newport News, Poquoson, and York County are particularly critical to Hampton’s future success. In 2015, at the conclusion of the Dutch Dialogues Virginia workshop, the cities of Hampton and Norfolk pledged to lead the Hampton Roads region forward toward creating vibrant and resilient places through innovative integration of flood risk mitigation, economic opportunity, planning, urban design, engineering, environmental stewardship, and quality of 34 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
life. In addition to fellow municipalities, partnerships spanning a range of key area stakeholders, universities, business community leaders, and transportation entities will be critical to the success of an integrated resilience strategy. During this work phase, the following stakeholders were identified and should be engaged as next steps in creating a resilient Hampton:
Government - State/Federal Department of Defense Joint Base Langley-Eustis NASA Langley Research Center (NASA LaRC) US Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) Virginia Silver Jackets
Government - County / Municipality Chesapeake Gloucester County Isle of Wight County James City County Mathews County Newport News Norfolk Poquoson Portsmouth Suffolk Williamsburg Virginia Beach York County
Regional Partners Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) Hampton Roads Sanitation District Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Virginia Port Authority
Institution / Education / NGO The College of William & Mary Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency Hampton University Old Dominion University Thomas Nelson Community College Virginia Coastal Policy Center Virginia Tech Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) Wetlands Watch A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 35
Business Community Coliseum Central Business Improvement District Downtown Hampton Development Partnership (DHDP) Partnership for a New Phoebus Peninsula Housing and Builders Association Virginia Peninsula Association of Realtors Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
Use Best Data With an abundance of local universities, water-focused institutes and not- for-profits, and governmental resources like NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton has access to some of the country’s most cutting-edge geological, flooding, and climate data. Data collection is an iterative process, updated and revised as new inputs are collected and analyzed. Strategies should be informed by the best and most current data available. Each project should be better than the last, building upon newer data as well as monitoring and analysis of how similar projects and systems have performed over time. Where possible, projects should integrate means of data collection and monitoring – such as tide gauges, groundwater monitoring, or testing of water quality - to enhance the pool of available resources. With many monitoring systems already in place or under development, Hampton has the advantage of a solid foundation on which to continue to build good data.
Post-disaster data collection methods and findings could be revisited with a particular focus on presidentially declared disasters; for example, reevaluating data collected by a damage assessment team after Hurricane Matthew. Methods should be modified to position the City to pass data-driven thresholds associated with HUD's CDBG-DR resilience grant competitions.
For a list of relevant data sources, including projects, studies, and organizations in Hampton and throughout coastal Virginia, see the "Additional Resources" section in the Appendix.
Share Knowledge and Resources The City of Hampton is committed to leading the Hampton Roads region’s efforts to improve resilience and create stronger, more vibrant places to live, work, and recreate. Networks of water, transportation, industry, and people create an interdependency between the cities in Hampton Roads, making the region only as strong as its weakest link. Further, adaptations on an infrastructure scale would require the buy-in of adjoining cities and regional commissions. Therefore, the sharing of knowledge and resources between stakeholders and municipalities is essential for advancing the region together. A collaborative feedback loop between municipalities could continue to build better knowledge and resources for future projects and also share solutions that may be replicable on a regional scale. 36 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Values
The eight values enumerated below are the fundamental beliefs that guide this effort. They have been established by a community-driven process and, while certain criteria are applicable to a broader area, they are specific to the City of Hampton. Several attributes help further describe and define each value. These values and attributes are the basis of the evaluation tool described later in this document. Below is a summary of each value:
1. Safe Reducing risk during major events and creating safe, reliable systems.
The City of Hampton needs to demonstrate current and prospective residents, industries, and employers that it has a strategy for addressing climate challenges. A safe community with reduced risk is the primary value for Hampton’s future. The process of becoming a safer, more resilient place with lowered risk depends on a range of factors. Major elements – or attributes – of safety and risk reduction include options for creating egress routes; reliable utility systems such as power, energy, and water supply; better protection of critical infrastructure; resilient adaptation in the floodplain; and making structures storm-resistant. However, reduced risk is only one facet of resilience. Improved safety must be balanced with quality of life for both humans and the environment.
2. Equitable Prioritizing strategies that create benefits for all, and strengthening marginalized sectors of the community.
Related to safety, the value of equity prioritizes strategies that create benefits for all. The intent of resilience planning is to provide benefits for as many people as possible, and specifically strengthen marginalized sectors of the community. In Hampton, as in cities across the world, certain communities disproportionately face more challenges than others, whether through environmental risks such as flooding or pollution, or through socioeconomic factors such as lack of services or investment. Attributes to improve equity include being a good, responsible neighbor; encouraging citizen involvement; creating wider access to project benefits; and improving social justice.
3. Natural Repairing and protecting natural systems in order to sustain them for the future.
Hampton has both been shaped by and helped shape natural systems. The city is strategically located in a natural harbor to take advantage of both coastal proximity and inland connections. This location provided historic access to aquaculture and water-based transportation while being protected by coastal edges that served as storm buffers. However, over time, some of these assets have been degraded, depleted, or polluted. The valuing of nature aims to help repair and renew natural systems in order to both sustain them for the future and to restore the protection they once offered. Attributes to enhance nature A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 37
include promoting nature-based solutions over conventional engineering; reducing stormwater runoff; improving water quality; reducing greenhouse gas emissions; creating ecological benefits through native vegetation and landscape types; and restoring natural systems.
4. Heritage Appreciating the history and culture of local communities and supporting it into the future.
In Hampton, valuing heritage means appreciating the history and traditions that have developed over time as a result of the local landscape, waterways, and people. The city was built around and on the water. That connection, though adapted through time, remains today. Physical examples of unique local heritage and culture should also be preserved and supported into the future. Attributes include prioritizing historic and cultural resources; building upon Hampton’s legacy; respecting the social and cultural character of neighborhoods; and reinforcing the local culture of water.
5. Integrated Connecting systems in strategic ways to yield multiple benefits.
Integration and connection of different systems, benefits, and participants leads to a more holistic result that addresses a range of values and creates strategies with multiple benefits. With 124 miles of waterfront property, including several major rivers and creeks crossing through the city, water is already an integral part of Hampton’s character. This value reinforces the idea of connecting systems in effective and strategic ways to yield the greatest amount of benefits. Attributes include achieving benefits beyond the main purpose of the project; collaborating across disciplines and sectors; and creating well-informed strategies by using the best data and information available.
6. Sufficient Leveraging public investment to support the local economy and jobs, and being fiscally responsible with city funds.
Similar in some ways to equity, the value of sufficiency aims to leverage public investment to improve the financial health of residents while using funding in the most effective and beneficial manner. Resilience projects are an opportunity to create a greater return on investment by securing livelihoods while also developing new industries, creating jobs, and strengthening the local economy. Attributes to achieve better economic sufficiency include supporting livelihoods of residents by creating access to existing employment and creating new job opportunities; improving property values through reduced risk; influencing a rise in median income through higher paying job opportunities; implementing fiscally responsible strategies; and being more sustainable by reducing resource consumption. 38 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
7. Nimble Being able to adapt in the face of changing environments, improved data, and new best practices.
The value of nimbleness - or flexibility and adaptability - is central to developing strategies that can accommodate changing conditions in Hampton. Over time, critical factors – including physical, social, and/or environmental aspects – may change, and prediction tools and models will constantly adapt with updated data. To be successful, strategies must be able to accommodate adjustment over time. Attributes include the ability to be implemented; adaptability to adjust purpose or use; consideration of all scales; development through an iterative process that accommodates multiple and varied inputs; and the ability to be replicated at a range of scales and conditions.
8. Innovative Creating forward-thinking solutions.
Hampton has long been a place of innovation, from Hampton University to NASA and Langley Air Force Base. This forward-thinking attitude and creativity should also be applied to the climate-based challenges the city faces. To innovate is to think broadly about possibilities and to create new models. Hampton should become a model city for its regional neighbors in Virginia and along the coast, as well as for itself. Attributes include exceeding standards and – in turn – raising them; thinking of project life cycle in terms of maintenance, operations, and adaptability; and addressing specific local needs.
These values should shape Hampton's resilience strategies to create local solutions to place-specific challenges. These strategies could take the form of built projects, but they may also be changes in policy, education, communication, and/or operations and maintenance of existing assets. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 39 Big Ideas Goals Space for Water Wider sections of Newmarket Creek allow for increased water storage during storm events and also provide wildlife habitat through rich, marshy areas filled with native vegetation. 42 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Goal Statements
RH1. Hampton will address the challenge of sea level rise and resiliency in a holistic manner founded upon the best science and data available, our own set of community values, and an appreciation for the uniqueness of each place.
The environment which surrounds us and influences our everyday lives is changing at a rapid pace in very significant ways. These changes and the pace of change are now our “new normal.” Hampton is committed to understanding and addressing the implications of threats such as sea level rise and climate change through a broad, holistic approach. Key elements of this approach include good data and science as well as being firmly grounded in who we are as a community of people. This “human element” necessitates an understanding of what we value and what makes Hampton a special place with a compelling and unique national story. Our approach must be multi- dimensional in order to generate solutions that create multiple public benefits which result in enhancements to our economic and environmental vitality and overall quality of life.
RH2. Hampton will embrace the belief that a successful resiliency initiative will enhance quality of life for our citizens and create a more robust and vibrant economy and environment.
The Netherlands has been dealing with water issues for centuries and has proven that smart, effective, and sustained actions can lead to success. The pessimistic outlook often captured by the media should not be viewed as a fait accompli. Hampton and the region can become an even more vibrant and desirable coastal community with a superior quality of life and a bustling economy by demonstrating that resilient and environmentally smart decisions can be a stimulus for economic growth and prosperity.
RH3. Hampton’s resiliency initiatives shall be “nimble,” “adaptive,” and accountable.
Upon City Council’s approval of our overall resiliency goals, we will adopt targeted benchmarks so we are able to have clear short-term, measurable objectives. These shorter term objectives will allow us to clearly identify successes as well as areas in which we may have fallen short. This regular “evaluation” also encourages us to review and reassess the effectiveness of our strategies at regular intervals. This process should allow us to adjust quickly as conditions change so that we achieve the best results for our community. Hampton will also encourage the region to adopt similar targets that apply to regional objectives and strategies to help reinforce the importance of broader regional approaches to these challenges. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 43
RH4. Hampton will adopt higher “resiliency standards” with respect to new public projects. Adaptation of existing infrastructure will be designed and implemented to improve resiliency rather than replicate the status quo.
Moving forward, Hampton will prioritize designing and constructing a wide range of public improvements that are resilient and adaptive to future conditions such as sea level rise and other risks. Public improvements will be evaluated using the “evaluation tool” and will be designed using parameters and projections based upon the useful life of the improvement. Adaptation of existing infrastructure and/or public facilities will be designed and implemented to improve resiliency rather than replicate the status quo. For example, if a road critical for safe egress is to be constructed or improved, it must be designed to account for sea level rise over the anticipated life span of that improvement rather than being designed based upon current minimum design standards.
RH5. Enhancing our response to sea level rise and resiliency shall be addressed at multiple scales: regional, city-wide, neighborhood, and individual parcel.
One of the messages we heard repeatedly during our community outreach sessions was to not just focus on the big, expensive projects that might take years to implement. We also heard a clear preference for “action.” As a result, our efforts should focus on many scales of strategies and actions ranging from the large, multi-million dollar projects that may take years to implement actions that can occur quickly and may best be described as the “cumulative effect of many small, coordinated actions.” This goal also implies that the City of Hampton cannot accomplish its objectives alone. The City will need the assistance of a wide range of partners at the state, federal, regional, and individual citizen levels in order to be successful. Each of these important partners must embrace their own role and responsibility.
44 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
RH6. All elements of our community (local government, business, citizens, not-for-profits, faith-based, educational institutions etc.) will become keenly aware and highly educated with respect to the challenges we face and the contributions they can make to address sea level rise and other related risks.
In order for our community partners to be active and effective in reaching our goals, Hampton must take the lead in providing an effective outreach and education program. This effort should provide timely and accurate information with respect to the science behind sea level rise, climate change and how this data translates to everyday experiences and threats. In addition, outreach and education should focus on what our partners can do to contribute toward reaching our goals as well as how they can become more resilient partners in our community. This effort need not be exclusively a local government initiative. Hampton should seek out local and regional partners to undertake and execute this goal.
RH7. In order to reach our goal of becoming a resilient city, Hampton must embrace a new way of doing business – an approach which adopts the guiding principles articulated in this document.
Living effectively with water will require a paradigm shift in terms of how we do business. In order to guide this transformation, six guiding principles are outlined as being foundations for our success. The six guiding principles are: (1) Create solutions driven by our values ; (2) Reinforce assets; (3) Layer public benefits; (4) Strengthen partnerships; (5) Use good data; and (6) Share our knowledge and resources. For example, an important function of local government is the regulatory role which serves to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public through a broad array of regulations. Adapting more effectively to long-term sea level rise and other threats made more severe by climate change will require a comprehensive review of many existing codes and ordinances. Specifically, those codes and ordinances that regulate land use, building codes as well as other city and private operations should be reviewed through this new lens. One objective of this review should be to advocate to both local and state policy makers the adoption of codes, ordinance, and authorities that recognize and support reasonable regulatory actions which promote risk reduction, sustainability, and resiliency.
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 45
RH8. Hampton will assume a leadership role in making our region a shining example of how to adapt and prosper when faced with the challenges brought on by sea level rise and other impacts of global climate change.
It is an important fundamental value to Hampton that we pursue strategies and solutions at multiple scales. Ultimately, we will not be as effective as we might aspire to be without solutions that extend beyond our city limits. Collectively we should seek out collaborative, innovative solutions and strategies that provide benefits to the entire region. Of critical importance is our role as an active and supportive partner as the Hampton Roads region embarks on the journey to be a resilient region. Hampton should champion progressive change at both the regional and state level in recognition of the critical importance our region plays in the Commonwealth and the country. This region represents an important piece of the country’s history, critical national defense assets, as well as significant economic, environmental, and cultural resources. Protection of these key assets will have far-reaching positive affects well beyond the region's borders. We should also recognize that localities have limited resources; our work should try to be as transferable as possible so other localities may benefit from our efforts, solutions, and lessons learned.
RH9. Hampton will develop and utilize an “evaluation tool” as a guide to assist in making the best possible decisions with respect to how community investments enhance our resiliency and respond to our identified community values.
To become the resilient city we aspire to be will require a different approach to making decisions. In order to help guide us and to reinforce this new way of thinking, Hampton will develop and adopt an “evaluation tool” that will be applied to most major investment decisions. While the methodology embedded in the tool may be generally applicable to other communities, our Hampton-specific version will be “tuned” to reflect our local values and parameters. The “tool” will not necessarily generate the definitive answer, but it will provide useful information and context as to how particular investments or policy decisions may “score” relative to the values and goals identified as most important to our community.
Place-Driven Analysis Living With Water Houses along Hampton River in the Elizabeth Lakes neighborhood address both their street frontage and water frontage, embracing the water as an asset. 48 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Place-Driven Analysis
The analysis and strategies laid out in the following chapter are the culmination of a series of public workshops and stakeholder meetings. Four public workshops, each addressing a specific area of the city, opened with a brief presentation followed by a table activity aimed at capturing citizen observations, concerns, and proposed solutions. Attendees were asked the following:
·· Tell us about flooding events you are experiencing. ·· Of these events, what are the most important to address? ·· Brainstorm possible actions for these priorities.
In addition to the public workshops, the team consulted city council members and local stakeholders to gather information on risks, current and planned adaptation activities, and available data. Stakeholders involved in the study included representatives from Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, Newport News, Gloucester County, Langley Air Force Base, NASA, Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Norfolk District, the City of Hampton Federal Facilities liaison, Ft. Monroe Authority, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Partnership for a New Phoebus, Hampton University, Old Dominion University, Thomas Nelson Community College, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and Wetlands Watch. The collected information from these sources has been distilled into city-wide strategies and also location-specific conditions.
City-Wide Strategies
Actions to address resiliency can take a number of forms, from new zoning ordinances, to homeowner adaptations, to training for green infrastructure maintenance. In addition to physical, or structural, adaptations, two of the most frequent themes from the community meetings were land use and maintenance. To cover a broad range of actions, the city-wide strategies are divided into four overarching categories:
Policy Education & Communication Physical Operations & Maintenance
To create a holistic resilience plan, these strategies from each of these categories will need to overlap and correspond.
Opposite: Citizens use maps to identify areas at risk and discuss potential actions to address those concerns. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 49 50 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON City-Wide Strategies
Policy Case Study Resilience strategies reflect a broader range of actions than physical, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS COMPREHENSIVE ZONING built solutions. Much of the feedback collected during this phase ORDINANCE ARTICLE 23 centered on topics of land use/zoning, building codes, insurance, and IN 2015, THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS ADOPTED incentivization of resilient solutions. These topics, often referred to A NEW COMPREHENSIVE ZONING ORDINANCE (CZO). ARTICLE 23 OF THE NEW CZO ADDRESSES as “non-structural,” could be manifested in the form of new policies, STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, WITH THE INTENT zoning ordinances, or funding mechanisms. In a city that values OF INCREASING SUSTAINABILITY, REDUCING RUNOFF, INCREASING WATER CONSERVATION, AND independence and a self-starting attitude, increasing regulation REDUCING THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT. THE should be balanced with developing incentives for individual actions NEW CZO REQUIREMENTS STRONGLY ENCOURAGE IMPLEMENTATION OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AS A to create a paradigm shift around climate and living with water. MEANS OF MANAGING STORMWATER BY REQUIRING A PLAN TO RETAIN, DETAIN, AND FILTER THE One of the most prominent policy-related themes heard throughout FIRST 1.25" OF STORMWATER DURING EACH RAIN EVENT. READ MORE AT HTTP://NOLA.GOV/CITY/ the process was land use and, specifically, designating space for water STORMWATER. storage. Though this is a physical solution, its implementation relies BELOW: THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS FOUNDATION largely on policies that either incentivize or enforce the creation HEADQUARTERS, BUILT TO COMPLY WITH THE NEW of such space. Patterns of flooding frequently align with historic CZO, FEATURES A COURTYARD WITH MULTIPLE WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS INCLUDING RAIN waterways that have since been infilled and where development has GARDENS, UNDERGROUND CISTERNS, PERMEABLE encroached on the edges of shorelines, rivers, and creeks. Providing PAVING, NATIVE PLANTINGS, AND A PERMEABLE ASPHALT PARKING LOT. space for existing waterways to expand during heavy rains or storm events can be achieved in a number of ways, including architectural adaptation of existing structures.
Also contained under the realm of policy is the formation of partnerships. Partnerships with adjoining municipalities are crucial to solving water-based challenges. A prime example is Newmarket Creek, which runs through both Hampton and Newport News. Hampton-exclusive policies that address the creek will remain less effective if not coordinated with Newport News. Similarly, coordination between the City of Hampton and local landowners will be required to address coastal, tidal, and stormwater-related challenges as they affect private property. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 51
Potential solutions to address policy-based needs include:
·· Modify zoning and future land use policies to prioritize space for water (eg. retention / detention ponds, etc.). ·· Modify zoning and future land use policies to protect certain sensitive or flood-prone areas from non-sensitive development. ·· Modify zoning ordinance to limit impervious development or specify stricter on-site water management requirements. ·· Expand existing water management policies to address on-site water treatment to improve water quality. ·· Modify or expand building codes to encourage adaptation and/or floodproofing measures in new construction and renovation. ·· Modify or make exceptions to building codes and regulations to allow/facilitate graywater reuse. ·· Examine possibility of using FEMA funds or other grants to demolish slab-on-grade homes and replace with more climate-appropriate architectural solutions (eg. raised houses, etc.). ·· Promote/incentivize parcel-level adaptations that reduce flood risk and potential loss (eg. elevate home, elevate mechanical equipment, etc.) ·· Promote/incentivize parcel-level adaptations and improvements that reduce runoff (eg. rain gardens, cisterns, etc.). ·· Promote/incentivize water-based assets (eg. marinas) to improve recreational opportunities and bolster economy. ·· Promote/incubate trades and industries focused on resilience work (eg. elevating houses or relocating HVAC equipment, maintaining green infrastructure, native landscaping, etc.). ·· Promote/incentivize educational and recreational opportunities that teach the importance of environment and habitat preservation. ·· Partner with adjoining and regional municipalities to create consistent policy on water management. ·· Work with landowners and neighborhood associations to create consensus around installation, operation, and maintenance of infrastructure and shoreline stabilization on private property. 52 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Education & Communication
Case Study Hampton has the advantage of already having many resources
RESILIENT BRIDGEPORT available for its use when it comes to predicting storm impacts and longer-term climate change. Many organizations have already begun INTEGRAL TO THE DESIGN PROCESS FOR A CITY to collect resources online, creating a widely-available database RESILIENCE PLAN, THE DESIGN TEAM HELD REGULAR WORKSHOPS, MEETINGS, AND LECTURES of information and tools. However, as Hampton is a city with a WITH LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNITY large volume of military personnel, a portion of its citizenry has a MEMBERS. EVENT PARTICIPANTS WERE ENCOURAGED relatively high turn-over rate, and those citizens may be less familiar TO ASK QUESTIONS AND SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS THROUGH INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS with tidal action, large storm events, and heavy rains. Furthermore, BUILDING SURGE ALIGNMENTS ON A TOPOGRAPHY the City should be able to convey to potential citizens and investors MODEL, AND DESIGNING AND DRAWING THEIR IDEAL PARK ON LARGE PLANS. how it plans to use investment to reduce risk and increase quality of life. EDUCATION HELPS RESIDENTS STAY INFORMED OF THE LATEST IDEAS ON SEA LEVEL RISE AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN ORDER TO MAKE INFORMED A common theme heard throughout the process was “helping COMMENTS ON THE DESIGN. DURING THE WORKSHOPS, THE DESIGN TEAM AND COMMUNITY citizens help themselves.” This can include information sessions or MADE DECISIONS TOGETHER TO COLLECTIVELY AND assistance in applying for flood insurance, educational materials or ACTIVELY MOVE THE PROCESS FORWARD. seminars on parcel-level improvements to create and maintain a TOP: LOCAL RESIDENTS COLLABORATIVELY more resilient home, or providing information on how to prepare DEVELOPING DESIGN IDEAS FOR A STORMWATER PARK IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD DURING A PUBLIC for storm events (eg. purchasing groceries, sandbagging, moving EVENT IN APRIL 2017. cars, etc.). Incentivizing community involvement by getting the
BOTTOM: FAMILIES PARTICIPATING IN THE SAME community creatively involved in the process can also strengthen a EVENT, TAILORED TO CHILDREN. sense of responsibility and shared interest.
Transparency on the decision-making process for new projects - or why certain projects are not pursued - and maintenance of existing infrastructure is also important to Hampton’s citizens. With multiple forces of water at work in Hampton (tidal, stormwater, storm surge, groundwater, or combinations of these), clear communication on the root cause of flooding is key. Some solutions may prevent one flooding threat while increasing another, or transferring the problem to another area. Clear and consistent communication will allow citizens and their representatives to create smarter, place-based solutions to local risks. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 53
Potential solutions to address education and communication-based needs include:
·· Work with governmental and educational institutions to create a public repository for climate and flood data. ·· Empower citizens to adapt and maintain personal property by providing information and educational materials about the benefits, processes, and costs of such systems (eg. raising homes, elevating HVAC equipment, filling in basements, etc.). ·· Inform citizens on benefits of purchasing flood insurance and provide opportunities for advice/assistance for citizens to acquire flood insurance. ·· Inform citizens of best practices for improving water quality (eg. removing septic systems in favor of tying into city sewer) and filtering stormwater before releasing it into waterways. Empower citizens to report violations of pollution policies to the City. ·· Educate citizens on how to prepare for storms and flooding and improve systems for communicating when storms are approaching. ·· Designate and signify central evacuation sites in neighborhoods and communicate the conditions in which such sites would be used. ·· Increase public notification for outreach events by posting notifications in frequented areas (eg. libraries, community centers, grocery stores, and churches or sending fliers home with schoolchildren) or using social media and websites (eg. Nextdoor.com, etc.). ·· Provide opportunities for citizens unable to attend community events to receive information at a separate time (eg. record meetings and replay them on City’s television channel, post information on city website, etc.). ·· Form citizen steering committees to provide feedback and direction on new city policies and projects. ·· Clearly communicate the plan and schedule for maintaining current stormwater infrastructure (cleaning storm drains, ditches, etc.). Consider implications of operations and maintenance when evaluating potential future projects. ·· Provide clear communication on citizen responsibility for property maintenance (eg. cleaning ditches) and promote/facilitate neighborhood events around citizen maintenance (eg. neighborhood catch basin cleaning days). ·· Educate citizens about the location of the Chesapeake Bay buffer and its importance to shoreline and habitat protection. 54 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Physical Case Study Physical, or "structural," strategies can range in scale from parcel- ROTTERDAM WESTERSINGEL level strategies to regional systems. They are shaped by policy and
THE WESTERSINGEL IS A FAMOUS CANAL IN should be informed by not only current cost and utility, but also ROTTERDAM THAT FUNCTIONS AS BOTH A WATER operations and maintenance and useful lifespan. Some physical MANAGEMENT FEATURE AND A RECREATIONAL PARK. THE CANAL IS DESIGNED WITH OPEN PARK SPACE strategies may involve adaptation of human and natural systems ON EITHER SIDE TO ACCOMMODATE FLOODING to respond to changing climate and sea level. The "evaluation tool" DURING LARGE RAIN EVENTS. THIS PROJECT IS AN EXAMPLE OF INTEGRATED STORMWATER described in this report provides a value-based system for weighing INFRASTRUCTURE THAT PROVIDES MULTIPLE the merits of potential projects in order to promote smart, multi- BENEFITS. benefit solutions. TOP: IN SOME AREAS, THE WESTERSINGEL IS BOUNDED BY OPEN, GREEN PARK SPACE, AS SHOWN A key physical strategy for the City of Hampton is the IN THIS RESIDENTIAL AREA. strengthening of a network of corridors for safe passage during BOTTOM: IN OTHER AREAS, THE BANKS OF THE flood events. With increasing occurrences of nuisance (tidal and CANAL ARE HARDSCAPED TO PROVIDE WALKING PATHS, SEATING (WHICH, HERE, IS INTEGRATED stormwater) flooding, citizens and employers alike are concerned WITH THE FLOODWALL), AND SPACES FOR about connecting homes to workplaces. Safe ingress and egress is ARTWORK. THESE HARDSCAPED AREAS CAN ACT AS PLAZAS FOR SURROUNDING BUSINESSES, SUCH AS also a point of concern for many communities during major storm SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS. events in order to maintain access for evacuation and for emergency services. Continued operation of utilities, specifically power, is also a key physical strategy, and essential for emergency operations such as the VA Medical Center.
As discussed in the "Policy" section, providing space for water should be central to physical strategies. In addition to providing space near existing waterways for expansion and storage, new construction and renovations of structures and spaces can be designed to provide space for water through a variety of means, including shaping of the land, architectural adaptation, and minimization of impermeable surfaces. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 55
Potential solutions to address physical needs include:
·· Create a network of raised roads or create multiple ingress/egress options to provide safe egress from flood-prone areas, where feasible . ·· Move critical assets (eg. emergency services, police stations, etc.) out of flood zones when feasible. ·· Investigate improvements to the power grid to maintain more consistent operation. ·· Work with utility companies to examine the feasibility of burying utility lines as a means of improving consistency of service during storm events. ·· Expand shoreline stabilization measures to prevent further erosion or degradation (eg. breakwater system, living shoreline, beach replenishment, etc.). ·· Broaden the tree canopy to reduce heat island effect and improve air quality. ·· Install backflow preventers or other similar devices on outfalls, where deemed appropriate. ·· Install infiltration wells to get below the clay soil layer and improve infiltration, where deemed appropriate. ·· Utilize needed improvements to public sites and buildings as opportunities to demonstrate sustainability and water management principles (eg. pervious parking lots, under-field water storage, rain gardens, etc.). ·· Evaluate the benefits and costs of installing tide gates at various locations. In areas where tide gates are deemed ineffective, inappropriate, or cost/maintenance prohibitive, inform citizens on the reasoning behind the decision and propose alternate scenarios for addressing flooding. ·· Evaluate the benefits and costs of installing green infrastructure at various locations. In areas where green infrastructure is deemed ineffective, inappropriate, or cost / maintenance prohibitive, inform citizens on the reasoning behind the decision and propose alternate scenarios. ·· Evaluate the benefits and costs of enlarging or installing stormwater infrastructure at various locations. In areas where expansions to stormwater infrastructure are deemed ineffective, inappropriate, or cost/maintenance prohibitive, inform citizens on the reasoning behind the decision and propose alternate scenarios for addressing flooding. ·· Evaluate the benefits and costs of installing pump stations to help manage stormwater at various locations. In areas where pump stations are deemed ineffective, inappropriate, or cost/maintenance prohibitive, inform citizens on the reasoning behind the decision and propose alternate scenarios for addressing flooding. 56 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Operations & Maintenance Case Study The cost of a project does not stop at its installation. This is GROUNDWORK NEW ORLEANS especially true for infrastructure, which requires constant upkeep to
THE NEW ORLEANS-BASED CHAPTER OF GROUNDWORK ensure proper and efficient operation. Like many cities, Hampton USA, A NOT-FOR-PROFIT FOCUSED ON already has more infrastructure than can be properly maintained ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND STEWARDSHIP, PREPARES HIGH SCHOOL-AGED STUDENTS FOR with current budget and staff allotments. Therefore, strategies JOBS IN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND for operations and maintenance should be paired with policy IMPLEMENTATION OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE. THIS 'GREEN TEAM' HAS WORKED THROUGHOUT and budgetary considerations. Partnerships with citizen groups THE CITY TO INSTALL AND MAINTAIN GREEN and neighborhood organizations can also increase awareness INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS BY PARTNERING WITH THE CITY, CIVIC GROUPS, AND OTHER NOT- of maintenance needs and empower citizens to take some FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. MANY OF THEIR responsibilities for property and public space maintenance. PROJECTS FEATURE INTERPRETIVE MATERIALS TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY ON GREEN TECHNOLOGY AND ALTERNATE METHODS OF STORMWATER Potential solutions to address operations and maintenance include: MANAGEMENT. · TOP: GREEN TEAM MEMBERS PARTNER WITH · Empower citizens to maintain personal property by providing VOLUNTEERS TO PLANT RAIN GARDENS AT AN information and educational materials. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN NEW ORLEANS. · BOTTOM: GREEN TEAM MEMBERS MEASURE · Expand operations and maintenance programs for existing GROUNDWATER LEVELS IN A RAIN GARDEN (IMAGE infrastructure. SOURCE: GROUNDWORK NEW ORLEANS) ·· Integrate energy-saving measures and low-maintenance materials and systems when repairing or replacing buildings, infrastructure, or making other public improvements. ·· Expand monitoring networks (for tides, groundwater, water quality, etc.) as needed. ·· Expand programs for stormwater treatment and water quality improvement. ·· Evaluate the benefits and costs of dredging at various locations. In areas where dredging is deemed ineffective, inappropriate, or cost/maintenance prohibitive, inform citizens on the reasoning behind the decision and propose alternate scenarios for addressing flooding. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 57
Local Strategies at Work
BAY STAR HOMES THE BAY STAR HOMES PROGRAM ENCOURAGES HAMPTON ROADS RESIDENTS TO MAKE PROPERTY IMPROVEMENTS THAT HELP RESTORE AREA WATERWAYS. RESIDENTS CAN ELECT TO JOIN THE PROGRAM AND COMMIT TO TAKING STEPS TO IMPROVE THEIR RESTORE HAMPTON WATERWAYS OYSTER GARDENS YARDS, CONSERVE RESOURCES, AND/OR TAKE ON A MORE ACTIVE THE CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION, FUNDED BY A GRANT FROM THE ROLE IN MAINTAINING COMMUNITY ASSETS. (IMAGE SOURCE: NATIONAL FISH AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION, INITIATED A SERIES COASTALVIRGINIAMAG.COM15) OF PROJECTS AND EVENTS IN HAMPTON, INCLUDING PUBLIC WORKSHOPS. ABOVE, BOOKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FIFTH GRADERS BUILD AN OYSTER REEF IN THE BACK RIVER NEXT TO LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE MARINA. (IMAGE SOURCE: DAILY PRESS14)
PHOEBUS LIVING SHORELINE IN 2013, THE CITY OF HAMPTON AND LOCAL VOLUNTEERS INSTALLED THE FIRST PUBLIC LIVING SHORELINE IN PHOEBUS. THE PROJECT FOLLOWS THE 2002 HAMPTON BEACHFRONT AND STORM PROTECTION MANAGEMENT PLAN AND THE PHOEBUS MASTER PLAN. THE LIVING SHORELINE WILL ADD HABITAT, HELP PREVENT EROSION, AND BEAUTIFY THE CORRIDOR FROM PHOEBUS TO FORT MONROE. (IMAGE SOURCE: DAILY PRESS16)
BROCK ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER ELIZABETH RIVER PROJECT LEARNING BARGE THE BROCK ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER,HEADQUARTERS FOR THE THE ELIZABETH RIVER PROJECT'S LEARNING BARGE IS A CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION, IS A DEMONSTRATION OF CLIMATE- FLOATING CLASSROOM USED TO TEACH SCHOOLCHILDREN ABOUT APPROPRIATE DESIGN. THE CENTER, LOCATED AT PLEASURE HOUSE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. DOCKED AT THE GRANDY VILLAGE POINT IN VIRGINIA BEACH, AIMS TO ACHIEVE LIVING BUILDING LEARNING CENTER IN NORFOLK, THE BARGE ITSELF IS A CHALLENGE CERTIFICATION, MEANING THAT THE BUILDING IS MODEL OF SUSTAINABILITY, FEATURING SUN AND WIND ENERGY SELF-SUFFICIENT. THE RAISED STRUCTURE, PERVIOUS PAVING, TECHNOLOGIES, A COMPOSTING TOILET, AND A RAINWATER NATIVE PLANTINGS, AND MANY RESOURCE-SAVING SYSTEMS SERVE FILTRATION SYSTEM. (IMAGE SOURCE: ELIZABETH RIVER AS A DEMONSTRATION ON HOW TO CREATE BUILDINGS THAT WORK PROJECT17) WITH THEIR LOCAL COASTAL ENVIRONMENT. 58 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Location-Specific Conditions
While some themes and strategies are common throughout the city, Hampton's unique neighborhoods also require more specific analysis based on hyper-local conditions. Elevation (height above sea level), soils, age and size of existing infrastructure, development patterns, and adjacency/proximity to a range of water bodies can all result in different risks and potential solutions.
In the following pages, the city has been broken down into study areas based on hydrological conditions, grouping together neighborhoods that face similar challenges and may benefit from similar strategies. These areas are roughly classified as low-lying, bay facing, harbor facing, and inland river/creek. Since Hampton has a variety of inland water body conditions, those zones are further separated into sections on the Hampton River, Southwest Branch Back River, and Newmarket Creek. After completion of the Hampton-Langley Joint Land Use Study addendum, Langley Air Force Base will be added as a seventh study area; its function as a national defense asset necessitates a different set of risks and opportunities. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 59
Hydrologically-Based Study Areas 60 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Low-Lying Major Topics Foxhill, Grandview, Harris Creek 1 NUISANCE FLOODING IS A LARGE CONCERN. CITIZENS IN THIS AREA ARE ADAPTING TO THREATS FROM MAJOR EVENTS, SO THESE Hampton's northeast region is characterized by low-lying, marshy lands and ARE LESS OF A CONCERN. a high water table. Desirable for its natural beauty and proximity to water and 2 PROTECTING ACCESS IN AND OUT wildlife, many area families have owned and passed property down through OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND TO RESOURCES IS IMPORTANT. generations in this largely residential area. As such, residents tend to be knowledgeable about how major storm events and flooding can impact their 3 BALANCING GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION WITH THE lives and assets and have adapted accordingly. COMMUNITY'S VALUE OF PRIVACY. Due to its low elevations and coastal proximity, this area can be heavily impacted during storm events. Flooding can be caused by multiple sources: Strategies tides, stormwater (rain events), or major events (hurricanes or nor'easters). 1 CREATE DRY/SAFE EGRESS ROUTES While increasingly frequent tidal flooding is the main stress for this area, IN FLOOD-PRONE AREAS. nor'easters are also a concern, as they can cause more damage due to their long 2 IMPROVE THE POWER GRID TO duration. MAINTAIN CONSISTENT OPERATION (EG. BURY UTILITY LINES, RAISE SUBSTATIONS, ETC.). Beach Road, the main transportation artery for Foxhill, can flood during storms, inhibiting safe egress. Similarly, Harris Creek Road and the approach 3 CREATE A CENTRAL EVACUATION SITE. to the bridge over Long Creek flood frequently. Establishing safe egress during storm events and also safe corridors to resources is key for these 4 IMPROVE CITY COMMUNICATION ABOUT IMPENDING STORM EVENTS neighborhoods. AND DEVELOP/IMPROVE THE SYSTEM FOR COMMUNICATING WITH EMERGENCY SERVICES DURING/ The age of the neighborhoods have also resulted in some infrastructure AFTER EVENTS. being located on private property, or property ownership interfering with the 5 ENHANCE OR CREATE WATER- construction of continuous infrastructure, such as drainage ditches. Finding a BASED ASSETS (EG. MARINAS) balance between government policy and intervention and citizen-led action to TO ENHANCE RECREATION AND ECONOMY. improve infrastructure is important to the area's residents. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 61
Recorded Flooding Resident Observed Flooding
Resident Comment 62 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Bay Facing Major Topics Buckroe, Phoebus, Fort Monroe 1 MAJOR EVENTS CAN CAUSE DAMAGE IN THIS COASTAL AREA AND ERODE THE SHORELINE. The eastern edge of the city, facing the Chesapeake Bay, contains some of 2 TIDAL FLOODING AND WATER BACKFLOW THROUGH EXISTING Hampton's oldest neighborhoods. Spanning from Buckroe Beach southward INFRASTRUCTURE ARE CHALLENGES to Phoebus and Fort Monroe, this area has also provided a variety of FOR PHOEBUS AND FORT MONROE. recreational opportunities through the years. With the transition of Fort 3 THE FUTURE OF FORT MONROE Monroe to a mixed use neighborhood and national monument, this area could WILL VASTLY AFFECT THE ECONOMY AND SUCCESS OF THIS continue to be a recreation and tourism focus area for the city. AREA, AND SPECIFICALLY PHOEBUS. Due to its proximity to the Chesapeake Bay, this area is susceptible to large storm events. During Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Buckroe Beach and Fort Strategies Monroe both sustained damage, though it manifested in different ways. Buckroe Beach suffered extensive shoreline damage and received federal funds 1 EXPAND SHORELINE for emergency restoration. At Fort Monroe, loss of power inhibited pumping STABILIZATION MEASURES TO PREVENT EROSION/DEGRADATION out of basements and other facilities. Buffered by Old Point Comfort (the AND LOOK FOR CO-BENEFIT site of Ft. Monroe), Phoebus has some defense from major storms. However, OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPAND RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES both Fort Monroe and Phoebus are experiencing increasingly frequent tidal AND/OR CREATE HABITAT. flooding, exacerbated by water backflow through the stormwater drainage
2 IMPROVE THE POWER GRID TO infrastructure during high tides. MAINTAIN CONSISTENT OPERATION (EG. BURY UTILITY LINES, RAISE SUBSTATIONS, ETC.). Buckroe, Phoebus, and Fort Monroe have all been designated as urban development areas by the City of Hampton, meaning the City has designated 3 EXPLORE ARCHITECTURAL these areas for growth. Master planning efforts have identified means of ADAPTATIONS AND/OR FLOODPROOFING MEASURES THAT improving urban fabric and inserting appropriate development. With a large ARE SENSITIVE TO HISTORIC stock of historic structures, one of the biggest challenges for this area is BUILDINGS. merging resiliency and preservation. Strategies in this area should not only 4 ADAPT SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE focus on creating multiple benefits, but also preserve existing assets, speak OUTFALLS TO PREVENT BACKFLOW. to the rich history of the area, and develop new economic opportunities for sustained viability. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 63
Recorded Flooding Resident Observed Flooding
Resident Comment 64 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Fort Monroe Now a National Monument, Fort Monroe has a long and prominent history as a site for national defense as well as the emancipation of enslaved African Americans during the Civil War. The closing of Fort Monroe as a military base in 2011 had a negative economic effect on the City of Hampton, and saw the loss of 4,500 jobs. Now in a transition of land ownership from the Army to the Commonwealth of Virginia and the National Park Service, Fort Monroe is in the process of transitioning from a restricted military installation to a mixed use neighborhood which includes a national monument and museum. The Fort Monroe Authority, the Commonwealth's entity for managing Fort Monroe, has set forth the goals of protecting, maintaining, and providing public access to the Fort "as a place that is a desirable one in which to reside, do business, and visit, all in a way that is economically sustainable."18
Located largely within the 100-year floodplain and with 145 historic buildings on the property - many of which have basements that are susceptible to flooding - strategies for Fort Monroe must combine resiliency and preservation. The Fort Monroe Authority and the National Park Service have already begun development of plans for retrofitting and remaking the fort to better align with its new use and purpose. Many of the fort's facilities and infrastructure were constructed for military use, and adapting systems for a new use can be challenging. Leveraging federal, state, and local knowledge and resources is crucial to preserving this historic asset, telling its incredible story, and making it an economically sustainable entity.
Adjacent to Fort Monroe, The Chamberlin is an example of successful adaptive reuse. Built in 1927 as a luxury hotel, the building was renovated in the 2000s as a retirement community.
Top, left: Opposite, top left: Freed slaves, "contraband of war," Mellen Street houses a variety outside of Fort Monroe during of locally-owned restaurants and the Civil War. (Image source: stores. National Park Service19) Opposite, bottom left: Second, left: A living shoreline at Phoebus View of historic buildings in and Waterfront Park was installed around Fort Monroe. (Image with the help of local volunteers. source: Detroit Publishing Co.20) Opposite, top right: Third, left: New residences in Buckroe are Present-Day Fort Monroe raised on crawlspaces. houses the Casemate Museum. Opposite, bottom left: Bottom, left: The fishing pier at Buckroe Old Point Comfort Lighthouse Beach, reopened in 2008, to was constructed in the early replaces one destroyed by 1800's. Hurricane Isabel in 2003. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 65
Phoebus Buckroe Once an independent city, Phoebus, the "gateway to Fort Used as a fish camp until after the Civil War, the Monroe," was incorporated into the City of Hampton in installation of rail and trolley service to the area in the late 1952. The community was home to an overflow of Union 1800s enabled Buckroe to grow into a resort community. troops who formed Camp Hamilton, an encampment With separate boardwalks, beaches, and amusement across the banks from Fort Monroe, during the Civil War. park facilities for both black and white visitors, Buckroe The urban structure of the area was formed post-war, was a popular summer destination. The addition of the when a street grid was laid out and the former Camp Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel in the 1950s changed the Hamilton was parceled into lots, forming the town nature of the area by expanding access to other beachfront known as Chesapeake City. With railroad and ferry access destinations. In the 1960s, Buckroe was designated as a connecting from Norfolk to Hampton, the area - renamed redevelopment area and many of the historic facilities Phoebus in 1900 - was a commercial center for both Fort were razed. Monroe and the surrounding cities. However, the opening of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel in 1957 created a The area now features mostly year-round residential bypass around Phoebus and stunted both development development, much of which is built on piers or and local economy. crawlspaces characteristic of its coastal setting. However, with public beaches, pavilions, and fishing piers, the area Today, revitalization efforts are visible along Mellen still provides an abundance of recreational opportunities Street, the heart of Phoebus's commercial zone. for residents and visitors. Vehicular traffic along the Restaurants and bars, which once served soldiers and Pembroke corridor (East and West Pembroke Avenue), staff at Fort Monroe, are intermixed with boutique stores. formerly a commercial services corridor, links Buckroe In 2007, the City created a master plan for Phoebus, to the retail centers in Phoebus and Downtown. The which was updated by Urban Design Associates in 2013. spit of land connecting Buckroe and Fort Monroe could Phoebus's designation as a National Historic District, potentially provide pedestrian and cyclist connections acquired in 2006, could provide access to a wider pool between these assets, though private property between the of funds for further revitalization efforts. Physically and public areas limits development opportunities. economically linked to Fort Monroe, Phoebus's future success will likely correspond to that of Fort Monroe. 66 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Harbor Facing Major Topics Wythe, Magruder, Armstrong Gardens 1 TIDAL FLOODING IS A CONCERN, ESPECIALLY AROUND THE AREA'S MULTIPLE CREEKS. Spanning between downtown Hampton to the east and Newport News to 2 SHORELINE MAINTENANCE CAN BE INHIBITED BY PRIVATE PROPERTY the west, the harbor-facing area was influenced by the development of both OWNERSHIP. cities. It contains several historic and present-day east-west (southeast - 3 OLD UTILITIES IN THE AREA ARE northwest) corridors, including Chesapeake Avenue, Kecoughtan Road, and UNRELIABLE. Victoria Boulevard. A trolley line running along Victoria Boulevard spurred 4 BALANCING GOVERNMENT early development along the harbor, which then grew inland as subdivisions INTERVENTION WITH THE developed. COMMUNITY'S VALUE OF PRIVACY. The area is punctuated by a series of creeks running inland from the harbor, Strategies including Indian River Creek and Salters Creek. These tidal creeks tend to be fairly shallow, exacerbated by erosion and storms that silt in the creeks. 1 EXPAND SHORELINE While dredging may provide greater opportunity for recreation in these areas, STABILIZATION MEASURES TO PREVENT EROSION/DEGRADATION. it would not provide additional storage capacity, as water levels are controlled WORK WITH RESIDENTS TO DESIGN by the tides. Rising sea levels have led to more frequent tidal flooding events, HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS WHERE THE SHORELINE IS LOCATED ON OR which tend to affect low-lying areas near the northern ends of the creeks, NEAR PRIVATE PROPERTY. where they have been infilled. Older utilities in the area are also susceptible
2 WORK WITH RESIDENTS to damage and can be unreliable during storms. Modernization of the area's TO DEVELOP CONSISTENT utilities could help residents weather storms. STRATEGIES FOR MAINTAINING INFRASTRUCTURE ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. Much of the shoreline along the harbor has rip-rap or seawall edge conditions, which can be damaged during major storm events. In some areas, the 3 REPLACE OUTDATED UTILITIES AND LOCATE THEM IN LOWER-RISK land on the harbor side of Chesapeake Avenue is privately owned, which AREAS. can limit consistent maintenance and repairs along the full length of the shoreline. During major storm events, storm surge can overtop the shore's edge. However, the harbor's edge is generally at a higher elevation relative to other areas of Hampton's waterfront, so access and egress is less of a concern. Partnerships between private landowners and the City to develop consistent shoreline stabilization systems could help restore and reinforce the harbor edge. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 67
Recorded Flooding Resident Observed Flooding
Resident Comment 68 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Hampton River Major Topics Downtown, Hampton University, VA Medical Center 1 LARGE AMOUNTS OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACE LEAD TO EXCESSIVE STORMWATER RUNOFF AND CONTRIBUTE TO POLLUTED The Hampton River touches many elements of Hampton's culture and WATERWAYS. economy: dense urban centers, industry, educational campuses, governmental 2 WATER BACKFLOW THROUGH and healthcare facilities, and single- and multi-family residential. It is an EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE CAN CAUSE FLOODING DURING HIGH important channel for both industrial and recreational use, and sections of the TIDES AND EXACERBATE FLOODING river are regularly dredged to maintain these functions. With an abundance WHEN RAIN EVENTS COINCIDE WITH HIGH TIDES. of economic assets - including Downtown, the VA Medical Center, and Hampton University - reduction of risk in this area is crucial to the city's 3 PROTECTING ACCESS IN AND OUT OF NEIGHBORHOODS AND TO continued growth and development. RESOURCES IS IMPORTANT. During rain events, impervious surfaces in this densely developed area causes large amounts of untreated stormwater runoff to flow directly into the Strategies Hampton River. Impervious surfaces can also contribute to flash flooding 1 DESIGNATE SPACES TO DETAIN during heavy rains. Though there are many drainage pipes leading from this AND CLEAN WATER. area of the city to the river, rising seas have made the drainage system less
2 CREATE DRY/SAFE EGRESS ROUTES effective during high tides and combination events (high tides plus rains), IN FLOOD-PRONE AREAS AND TO when water can back up through the drainage system. Locating spaces to store CRITICAL ASSETS. and clean water until it can be discharged could help alleviate flooding and 3 EXPLORE ARCHITECTURAL improve water quality. Architectural adaptations to rising water levels can also ADAPTATIONS AND/OR FLOODPROOFING MEASURES FOR alleviate financial loss due to flooding. BUILDINGS AT A RANGE OF SCALES (EG. RESIDENTIAL, With many creeks radiating from the main river channel, the Hampton COMMERCIAL, INSTITUTIONAL). River provides many miles of waterfront property. However, during flood events, these tributaries can also close off access and isolate campuses and neighborhoods. From Pasture Point to the VA Medical Center, flooded roads can inhibit access and prevent people from reaching needed resources. Improved transportation networks not only provide safe ingress/egress, but also provide economic benefit by connecting people with services. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 69
Recorded Flooding Resident Observed Flooding
Resident Comment 70 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Downtown Often considered the oldest continuously English- attention. However, through the later half of the speaking settlement in the United States, Hampton twentieth century, Downtown did see some large-scale was officially formed in 1705. The area of present-day developments such as City Hall, Virginia Air & Space Hampton was home to a native Kecoughtan population, Center, and a waterfront hotel. The area is now a Business who were displaced by British settlers by the early Improvement District, meaning that Downtown has a seventeenth century. In 1691, construction of the port voluntarily higher tax rate and the City provides matching and the platting of the King and Queen Street crossroads funds for improvements to the district. laid the foundation for Downtown's development. The area's growth was stunted by several fires - most notably Over the course of three centuries of development, much in 1861 by retreating Confederate soldiers and a second of Downtown has been largely covered with impermeable fire in 1884. St John's Episcopal Church, built in 1728 surfaces. Generations of infrastructure have also created and located along Queen Street near downtown's original a large number of subsurface pipes radiating from the crossroads, is one of the oldest buildings downtown, its Hampton River which, as sea levels rise, can bring water exterior walls still intact. During the Reconstruction from the river up into the streets. As one of the first areas period of the late 1800s, seafood became a major export developed in the city, Downtown has a prime location for Hampton. City growth led to the creation of a trolley situated both adjacent to water and on higher ground. system connecting Downtown to Newport News to the This prominent location could provide opportunities to west and Phoebus to the east. demonstrate higher-density urban development paired with increased water storage. Projects that improve In 1952, the consolidation of Hampton, Elizabeth City water quality through cleaning of stormwater runoff County, and Phoebus, created the modern-day City of are also important to life along the Hampton River and Hampton. The vast expansion of the city took focus away Hampton's long-running seafood industry. from Downtown, as other areas received development
Right: Downtown Hampton sits along the waterfront of the Hampton River.
Below, left: Sunset Creek, a dredged channel, is bordered by water-based industries.
Below, right: St. John's Episcopal Church, built in 1728, is the oldest continuously existing Anglican parish in America. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 71
Hampton University VA Medical Center From its inception, Hampton University has been The VA Medical Center (VAMC) is located south of a preeminent institution of equal education for all Hampton University, where the Hampton River meets citizens. The first class of what would become Hampton the harbor. Originally named the Southern Branch of University was held on September 17, 1861 when Mary the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, the Peake, a free woman of color, taught class to a group of medical facility opened in 1870. Today, the 86-acre site emancipated slaves under an oak tree. After the Civil War, contains over fifty buildings and employs 1800 people. the government purchased 165 acres of farmland for the Buildings on the campus span from 1860 to present, with school which, in 1868, was named Hampton Normal and the main hospital building constructed in 1938. A boiler Agricultural Institute. In 1930, the institution became plant with underground tunnels for steam lines provide a college, named Hampton Institute and, in 1984, was critical heat and water to the facilities. Sub-surface renamed Hampton University. Early classes emphasized utilities and mechanical equipment in basements or at trades and industrial skills, and many of the campus's grade are a liability with increasing tidal flooding and structures - including the flagship Virginia Hall - were flooding from extreme events. constructed with student labor and are still in use today. The VAMC has already made strides in adapting to Situated on a bend from the Hampton River, across the changing climate and rising seas. New facilities are river from Downtown and adjacent to the VA Medical designed with a 9' first floor elevation, new development Center and Phoebus, Hampton University is embedded locates structures away from the shoreline, and the front in the city's urban core. However, high-speed corridors entrance has been realigned onto higher ground. However, such as Interstate 64 and Highway 60 (Settlers Landing as sea levels rise, both of the campus's entrances could Road) reduce opportunity for pedestrian and cyclist access be at risk during extreme events. Reliable power is also to surrounding assets. Reconnecting the university to the critical. After flooding from Hurricane Isabel, some larger City should provide mutual benefit to both students critical electrical infrastructure was relocated, but the and the surrounding community. facility is still reliant on city-wide energy infrastructure maintaining operation during storm events.
Left, top & bottom: Top: Hampton University's historic High waves dampen the sidewalk campus sits opposite Downtown, lining the VAMC campus. along the Hampton River. Bottom: The main hospital building was constructed in 1938. 72 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Southwest Branch Back River Riverdale, Seldendale, Pastures, Tide Mill
The Back River and its surrounding communities provide a gateway to Langley Air Force Base. A series of commercial corridors, primarily running north-south - including LaSalle Avenue, King Street, Armistead Avenue, and Magruder Boulevard - connect this area to downtown Hampton and to neighboring Poquoson.
Along the river, low-lying lands are largely affected by tidal flooding, especially in neighborhoods like Riverdale and the Pastures, located near the confluence of the southwest branch of the Back River and Newmarket Creek. Residents fear that erosion and loss of marsh areas are contributing to more rapid RecordedRecorded Flooding Flooding and expansive flooding. Architectural adaptations paired with shoreline ResidentResident Observed Observed stabilization and habitat/marsh improvements could help reduce loss from FloodingFlooding tidal events. Resident Comment The proximity to Langley Air Force Base has limited some development in this area where aircraft and runway safety zones preference limited development. This creates opportunities for upland water storage in undeveloped or largely green areas. Areas such as Hamptons Golf Course could be considered for improved upland water retention to reduce stormwater runoff draining toward low-lying lands bordering the river.
Pairing raised egress with surge protection systems may also be a viable strategy for this area, though more study would be necessary. LaSalle Avenue, an important artery for Langley Air Force Base, roughly parallels the western bank of the river. There may be opportunities to raise the road to create a safe egress route while simultaneously protecting the area west of the road from surge and tidal events. However, this would require intense investigation into viability and potential adverse environmental effects.
Major Topics Strategies
1 TIDAL FLOODING IS THE PRIMARY 1 EXPLORE ARCHITECTURAL THREAT FOR RESIDENTS IN THIS ADAPTATIONS AND/OR AREA. FLOODPROOFING MEASURES FOR RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES. 2 SHORELINE EROSION AND MARSH LOSS INCREASE FLOODING RISK. 2 CREATE UPLAND WATER STORAGE IN UNDEVELOPED AREAS.
3 CREATE DRY/SAFE EGRESS ROUTES IN FLOOD-PRONE AREAS AND TO CRITICAL ASSETS. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 73 74 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Newmarket Creek Major Topics
1 TIDAL AND STORMWATER FLOODING AFFECT PROPERTIES THROUGHOUT Covering much of the central area of Hampton, Newmarket Creek extends THE AREA, AND ESPECIALLY from Newport News to the Back River. Over the course of its length, THOSE BORDERING THE CREEK. Newmarket Creek takes on a variety of different characters. Though further 2 LARGE AMOUNTS OF IMPERVIOUS subdivisions of character can be noted, the creek can generally be defined SURFACE LEAD TO EXCESSIVE STORMWATER RUNOFF AND by three distinct parts. Nearest Back River, the "bay creek" creates a wide, CONTRIBUTE TO POLLUTED meandering path with marshy borders. From around Hampton Coliseum to WATERWAYS. where the creek intersects with Newport News, the "residential creek" varies 3 EROSION OF CREEK BANKS FILL in width, but is generally straighter and lined on either side with single- and IN CREEKS AND REDUCE STORAGE AND CONVEYANCE CAPACITY. mutli-family housing. Near the Hampton - Newport News line, the creek becomes narrower and, in some areas, channelized. 4 INCONSISTENT STANDARDS AND POLICIES BETWEEN ADJOINING MUNICIPALITIES CAN MAKE The creek is tidal from the Back River to around Aberdeen Road, with the SOLUTIONS LESS EFFECTIVE. remaining length being tidally influenced. Stormwater runoff can affect the flow of the creek, such that sections of the creek can flow in different Strategies directions based on the combination of forces acting on it. This confluence of 1 PARTNER WITH NEWPORT NEWS TO factors can complicate potential strategies for reducing flooding around the ENACT POLICIES AND STRATEGIES THAT CONSIDER THE FULL LENGTH creek. In Newport News, the channelized Government Ditch is used to divert OF NEWMARKET CREEK. water from the creek. Originally designed to divert water during a 25-year
2 REVISE ZONING AND LAND storm event, the ditch is now diverting smaller events as well. USE POLICIES TO PROTECT SENSITIVE AREAS FROM FURTHER With extensive development around Newmarket Creek, stormwater runoff ENCROACHMENT AND DEVELOPMENT. from the large drainage shed can overwhelm the creek during rain events. 3 LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO Encroaching development on the creek's banks limit possibilities for expanded CREATE BUFFER AREAS AROUND THE CREEK; WHERE POSSIBLE, water storage and are also often the first areas to flood. The force of runoff UTILIZE THESE SPACES FOR can also lead to erosion, which silts in the creek and can further reduce water RECREATION. storage capacity. With such an extensive drainage shed, even areas at higher 4 CREATE SPACES TO DETAIN AND elevations, such as Northampton, can be affected by Newmarket Creek CLEAN WATER. flooding. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 75
Despite the complex issues facing the creek, opportunities for investment and development still exist. Coliseum Central has already seen some revitalization efforts, and is Newmarket Creek Conditions set up for future development as a Business Improvement District, which taxes itself at a higher rate and, in turn, receives matching funds from the City for improvements. At a hinge point in Newmarket Creek, reinvestment in Coliseum Central could positively influence Newmarket Creek through sensitive development. The San Antonio Riverwalk, which displays a number of characters and settings along its length, is a relevant precedent for development that reinforces water as an asset.
With many large shopping centers and adjoining parking lots along Mercury Boulevard - Hampton's prime commercial zone - opportunities exist for reducing runoff through green infrastructure and expansion of the urban tree canopy. Pervious parking lots, bioswales, and subsurface cisterns can slow water and, in some instances, improve water quality.
Retrofitting of the residential areas around Newmarket Creek will be a challenge, as much of the development along the creek is older and moderately dense. These types of development tend to be in lower areas that were BAY CREEK developed later, as higher grounds became built out. IN AREAS LIKE THOSE AROUND HAMPTON COLISEUM, THE CREEK As properties in this area come up for redevelopment, IS WIDER AND HAS MARSHY EDGES. creating more ecologically sensitive models for residential development could create more attractive housing while also adding space for water and recreation.
Newmarket Creek could also serve as a model for partnerships among adjoining municipalities to implement holistic policies and strategies for local waterways. It is imperative that the cities of Hampton and Newport News work together to address flooding concerns and create resilient strategies for Newmarket Creek and the surrounding area. This type of "smart" RESIDENTIAL CREEK LONG STRETCHES OF NEWMARKET CREEK RUN THROUGH THE BACK redevelopment could be the impetus for rebirth for many YARDS OF RESIDENTIAL AREAS. IN SOME AREAS, BUILDINGS of these areas. AND ACCESSORY UNITS ENCROACH ON THE CREEK'S BANKS.
NARROW CREEK IN COMMERCIAL AREAS, THE CREEK HAS LARGELY BEEN STRAIGHTENED AND CHANNELIZED. 76 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 77
Recorded Flooding Resident Observed Flooding
Resident Comment 78 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Potential Focus Areas
Based upon the work represented in this document, the following geographic areas are recommended as candidates for future phases of work. Each area represents a specific type of issue that is faced in Hampton. Often, similar conditions are found in several parts of the city, so this approach could produce prototypical solutions that may be replicated in other areas of the city. In each selected area, the guiding principles and values identified in this report will be applied to arrive at potential solutions. The evaluation tool will assist us in understanding which solutions most closely align with the matrix of key attributes that represent the “best decisions” for Hampton.
Recommended Pilot Areas for Phase II: 1. Newmarket Creek to Langley AFB ·· Major asset of national importance; economic driver ·· Central to the city – touches many neighborhoods ·· Wide range of challenges and potential solutions ·· Potential partnership with Newport News ·· Potential to assist vulnerable populations 2. Downtown Hampton ·· Cultural heart of the city – many historic and cultural assets ·· Economies tied to the seafood industry, tourism, institutions (Hampton University, VA Medical Center, etc.) ·· Publicly-owned lands to use for demonstration projects ·· Pilot green infrastructure (storage) solutions and urban river edge typology – applicable to Phoebus and Coliseum Central as well 3. Neighborhood Strategies: Fox Hill and Riverdale ·· Potential solutions at the parcel scale ·· Specific strategies for individual neighborhoods ·· Increasing resiliency of critical infrastructure like roads and the power grid – process applicable to most neighborhoods (although specific solutions may be different) 4. Buckroe Beach & Boardwalk ·· Recreational and tourism asset ·· Hardened bay-facing edge typology – applicable to Fort Monroe ·· Smaller scale – project based
Notes: 1. The more choices selected for Phase II work, the more funding will be required to accommodate the broader scope of work 2. Phase II work will focus on specific areas and will identify implementable projects with concept level cost estimates. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 79
Potential Project Locations Repetitive Loss Zone Interstate The map above shows existing major roadways and highways as connectors Repetitive Loss Cluster Major Road between neighborhoods in Hampton and cities in the region, along with a "heat Water map" of repetitive loss property clusters and larger zones. Based on analysis of 100-Year Floodplain groundwater depths and soil types, areas that could potentially accommodate Potential Green Infrastructure Area green infrastructure are shown, along with zones for coastal restoration. Potential Coastal Restoration/Living Shoreline Making Better Decisions Evaluation Tool Historic Hampton The city has a long and incredibly rich history, dating back before the founding of the United States. Important assets such as Ft. Monroe demonstrate the character of the place and the importance of preserving its culture and history. 82 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Evaluation Tool
Purpose
To be successful in becoming a more resilient city, we must begin to evaluate our choices in a broader context. One of the main goals of the Phase I Report is to establish important community values and guiding principles that will steer future work as the City goes forward. These values and principles will serve as a “compass” so that each decision, small or large, contributes in some positive way toward becoming resilient. Making better decisions will require both local government and community partners to evaluate key decisions in a much more holistic context that considers multiple community factors.
The evaluation tool is designed to assist in institutionalizing this new way of making decisions by guiding decision-makers in understanding how an investment or project “scores” relative to each of these values and principles. It will allow decision-makers to develop a greater awareness of the interrelationships between various public objectives related to making the community more resilient. In order to be effective, use of this tool will need to become a regular step in the evaluation of each investment or project.
It is important to note that the evaluation tool does not necessarily make the decision, but should serve as an important piece of the analysis used by decision-makers. This tool should also not be viewed as static; rather, as with any evaluation tool, it will likely need to be refined as we gain experience in its use and as better data and knowledge emerge.
Most importantly, the tool is set up to be comprehensible and useful to decision-makers and community leaders and present conclusions in a simple and easy format that can be readily understood by a wide range of audiences.
Using the Evaluation Tool
Although the evaluation tool process will result in unique solutions to specific locations and conditions, the ultimate goal is to apply these outcomes citywide. Compared to conventional methods of reviewing a project, the evaluation tool is a holistic assessment, tailored to the needs of Hampton. A simple matrix for each value shows points that can be earned for achieving each attribute of that value; points can also be deducted for not meeting the criteria. At the end, points are totaled to give each project a score. Beginning with City agencies looking at their own public projects, the evaluation tool could also be applied to private sector projects, with the intent of achieving smart and resilient development moving forward.
Value Intent Statement
The following values, described earlier in this document in guiding principles, are the basis of the evaluation tool. They have been established by a community-driven process in collaboration with the City of Hampton. Certain criteria are applicable broadly, but the evaluation tool is specific to the unique environment of Hampton. For each value, several attributes capture how a project does or does not align with Hampton's stated values. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 83
1. Safe 5. Integrated The City of Hampton needs to show current and Connection of different systems, benefits, and participants prospective residents, industries, and employers that leads to a more holistic result that addresses a range it has a strategy for addressing climate challenges, of values and create strategies with multiple benefits. evolving into a safe, resilient community with reduced Attributes of Integrated include Multiple Benefits, risk, while also prioritizing quality of life for both Collaborative, and Informed. humans and the environment. Attributes of Safe include Egress: Maintenance, Egress: Connections, Energy and 6. Sufficient Power, Critical Facilities, Reduce/Adapt Floodplain Similar in some ways to equity, the value of sufficiency Development, and Storm-Resistant Structures. aims to leverage public investment to improve the 2. Equitable financial health of residents while using funding in the most effective and beneficial manner by securing The City of Hampton believes in prioritizing strategies livelihoods, developing new industries, creating jobs, and that create benefits for all. Equity also focuses on strengthening the local economy. Attributes of Sufficient specifically strengthening marginalized sectors of the include Supports Livelihoods, Improves Property Values, community who are disproportionately affected by Supports Higher-Income Jobs, Fiscal Responsibility, and environmental risks such as flooding or pollution, or Sustainable/Reductive Resource Consumption. through socio-economic factors such as lack of services or investment. Attributes of Equitable include Neighborly, 7. Nimble Citizen Ownership and Involvement, Widespread Access The value of nimbleness, or flexibility and adaptability, is to Benefits and Services, and Social Justice. central to developing strategies that can accommodate 3. Natural changing conditions in Hampton over time, including physical, social, and/or environmental aspects. Attributes Hampton is strategically located in a natural harbor and of Nimble include Implementable, Adaptive, Considers takes advantage of both coastal proximity and inland All Scales, Iterative Process, and Replicable. access. Hampton values its environment and coastal edges, which must be maintained, repaired, and renewed 8. Innovative as ecosystems to maintain and restore the protection Hampton has long been a place of innovation, and this that they provide. Attributes of Natural include Nature- forward-thinking attitude and creativity should also be Based Solutions, Water Quantity, Water Quality, Reduce applied to the climate-based challenges the city faces, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Vegetation, Restorative, and becoming a model city for places in Virginia and along Ecological Benefits. the coast, as well as for itself. Attributes of Innovative 4. Heritage include Raises or Exceeds Standards, Long-Term Thinking, Addresses Local Needs, and Fits to Place. In Hampton, valuing heritage and culture means appreciating the history and traditions that have developed over time as a result of the local landscape, waterways, and diverse inhabitants, which should also be preserved and supported into the future. Attributes of Heritage include Prioritizes Historic and Cultural Resources, Advances Hampton’s Story, Respects Neighborhood Culture and Character, and Reinforces “Culture of Water.” Legal Framework and Challenges Balancing Investment and Resilience Smart development in places vulnerable to flooding presents complex challenges. Above, a relatively new residential area in between Salt Ponds and the Chesapeake Bay. 86 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Legal Framework and Challenges
Sources of Legal Authority
Hampton is an independent city (in legal terms, a “municipal corporation”) of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The City as it is known today was created in 1952 with the adoption of a consolidated charter by the Virginia General Assembly that merged the former city of Hampton and the county of Elizabeth City, which included the former town of Phoebus.
As an independent City, Hampton has all of the powers that are given to it through Code of Virginia and its charter. Importantly, Virginia follows the “Dillon Rule” of strict construction, which provides that local governments have and can exercise only those powers expressly granted by the General Assembly, those necessarily or fairly implied from those express powers, and those that are “essential and indispensable.” 1 It must exercise those powers in ways that comply with the U.S. and Virginia Constitutions. For example, the City must respect due process and equal protection rights, particularly with regard to private property ownership and application of local law. Hampton’s City Council is the governing body authorized by the General Assembly to exercise the City’s powers by adoption of ordinances, resolutions, policies, and other measures.
In practice, this means that any action that the City desires to take in furtherance of sea level rise adaptation will require authorization from the Commonwealth and enabling language in either the City charter or Code of Virginia. If the City enacts legislation without authority, it would likely be subject to expensive legal challenges. If doubt exists as to whether a local government has the authority to legislate something, the doubt is usually resolved against the locality. In some cases, such as planning and zoning, the Commonwealth has already provided broad authority to local governments. In other cases, such as condemnation powers, the state has limited the City’s authority.
1 Bd. of Zoning Appeals of Fairfax Cty. v. Bd. of Sup'rs of Fairfax Cty., 276 Va. 550 (2008). A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 87
Existing Legal Authority & Limitations Related to Sea Level Rise Adaptation
The Commonwealth of Virginia has provided some specific authority to local governments related to resiliency, including:
Comprehensive Planning ·· Required local governments in the Hampton Roads area, as of July 1, 2015, to “incorporate into the next scheduled and all subsequent reviews of its comprehensive plan strategies to combat projected sea level rise and recurrent flooding” in coordination with the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission.2
Physically Adapting ·· Authorized local governments to construct dams, levees, seawalls, and other structures and devices to prevent tidal erosion, flooding, and inundation and declared such action to be a governmental function for a public purpose.3
Acquiring Property ·· Authorized local governments to acquire by condemnation lands, buildings, easements, earth, and water4 with just compensation to the property owner and only when the property is taken for a public use.5 A public use is found, in part, when property is taken for the “construction, maintenance, and operation of public facilities,” with public facilities including “flood control, bank and shore protection, watershed protection, and dams.”6 No more private property may be taken than that which is necessary to achieve the stated public use. ·· Authorized local governments to acquire, by voluntary conveyance, real property for public uses7 and, more specifically, for open, undeveloped spaces.8 Virginia recognizes riparian property rights, which means that waterfront property owners usually have a real property interest connecting their property to the abutting water body.9 The City is authorized to acquire and condemn riparian rights or easements over riparian areas, for public uses, such as dredging and living shorelines.
2 Va. Code Ann. § 15.2-2223.3 (2017). 3 Va. Code Ann. § 15.2-970 (2017). 4 Va. Code Ann. § 15.2-1901.1 (2017). 5 Va. Code Ann. § 1-219.1 (2017). 6 Id. 7 Va. Code Ann. § 15.2-1800 et seq. 8 Va. Code Ann. § 10.1-1700 et seq. 9 Carr v. Kidd, 261 Va. 81, (2001). 88 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Regulating ·· Formally declared that controlling flooding is in the public interest.10 ·· Authorized (and, in some cases, required) local governments to administer environmental laws on matters such as Stormwater Management, Erosion and Sediment Control, Chesapeake Bay Protection, and Wetlands Management at the local level.11 ·· Authorized localities to enact regulations consistent with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) administered by FEMA.12 ·· Granted local governments substantial planning and zoning powers that expressly allow localities to adopt regulations based upon, “the trends of growth or change… the preservation of flood plains, the protection of life and property from impounding structure failures… and the encouragement of the most appropriate use of land throughout the locality.”13 ·· Required zoning ordinances adopted by localities to be designed to give reasonable consideration to, among other purposes, “flood protection.”14
Incentivizing Conservation and Adaptation ·· Grants tax incentives to property owners who make land donations for conservation purposes under the Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit program.15 ·· Authorizes local Economic Development Authorities16 and Housing Authorities17 to make loans and grants to private parties for permitted purposes, which could include sea level rise adaptation measures. ·· Authorizes local governments to implement “incentive zoning,” which allows localities to grant bonuses in the form of increased project density or other benefits to a developer in return for the developer providing certain features, design elements, uses, services, or amenities desired by the locality, including but not limited to, site design incorporating principles of new urbanism and traditional neighborhood development, environmentally sustainable and energy-efficient building design, affordable housing creation and preservation, and historical preservation, as part of the development.18
10 Va. Code Ann. § 10.1-658 (2017). 11 For example, the Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Program, Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, and Stormwater Management Act, all enable and require applicable localities to act. [add formal cites] 12 [add cite] 13 Va. Code Ann. § 15.2-2284 (2017). 14 Va. Code Ann. § 15.2-2283 (2017). 15 Va. Code Ann. § 58.1-512 et seq. (2017). 16 Va. Code Ann. § 15.2-4905 et seq. (2017). 17 Va. Code Ann. § 36-19 et seq. (2017). 18 Va. Code Ann. § 15.2-2286 (2017). A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 89
Additional Legal Authority Needed for Adaptation Measures
In order to maximize local governments’ ability to adopt resiliency measures, the General Assembly should:
·· Provide express authority, similar to the comprehensive plan language described above, for localities to adopt zoning and other development regulations in order to “combat projected sea level rise and recurrent flooding.” Doing so would eliminate doubt as to the legitimacy of regulations based upon data projections from reliable sources. ·· Provide express authority to require structures to be floodproofed and regulate methods of construction over and above the base Uniform Statewide Building Code requirements, even when located outside of a FEMA-designated flood zone. ·· Provide additional opportunities for funding of sea level rise adaptation projects.
Additional Legal Reference Material
Hampton Roads Intergovernmental Pilot Project: Memo and Legal Primer (VCPC) http://law.wm.edu/academics/programs/jd/electives/clinics/vacoastal/reports/cover%20 memo%20and%20primer%20final.pdf
Wetlands Watch Sea Level Rise Adaptation Guide http://wetlandswatch.org/sea-level-rise-adaptation-guide Next Steps Prioritizing Unique Values Planning for a more resilient future requires a holistic vision for a new type of waterfront city, including economic, recreational, and ecological values. 92 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Next Steps
This report represents the first phase of analysis and recommendations aimed at setting broad direction for Hampton’s holistic approach to addressing sea level rise and resiliency. The findings and recommendations in this first phase of work focused on three main objectives: (1) Assessing our current conditions and challenges as well as understanding projections for future conditions utilizing the best data available; (2) Understanding what is important to the community and, in doing so, gain an appreciation and awareness for what differences may exist from neighborhood to neighborhood; and (3) Establishing goals and recommendations which will provide a clear foundation to help guide our future actions and decisions.
Based upon this work, it is recommended that the following “next steps” be undertaken as logical action items:
·· Amend the Hampton Community Plan to reflect the work of this document and incorporate the recommendations. ·· Undertake a comprehensive effort to review and amend City codes and ordinances to support the goals and objectives adopted into the Hampton Community Plan from this document. ·· Refine the evaluation tool as necessary and institutionalize its use as an integral part of decision making for public projects. ·· Pursue changes to legal frameworks at the State level, if necessary. ·· Set “resiliency targets” for the community and establish a process to track and measure our progress. ·· Identify one or two geographic “focus areas” which will be the subject of the Phase II work. Phase II work will take a more detailed look at the identified geographic “focus areas” to apply what we have learned in Phase I. The goal for these areas will be development of a holistic set of strategies that can be implemented. ·· Continue to work with our partners to learn, share, innovate and advocate for regional progress on sea level rise and resiliency issues. ·· Work with our partners to develop a community education program which raises awareness with regards to the value of being a resilient community. Additionally, the education program will identify strategies and action items applicable to businesses, individual homeowners, institutions, and other stakeholders. ·· Continue to work with Langley Air Force Base to develop a resiliency component to the existing Joint Land Use Study. ·· Establish and support a “Hampton Resilience Partnership” in order to create a formal structure to bring community, business, academic, and regional partners together on a formal basis to assist in moving our resiliency goals forward. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 93
Addendum to the Hampton-Langley Joint Land Use Study
Expanding the reach of this study and report, a related study will specifically address sea level rise and resiliency issues in Hampton that may impact current and future operations at Langley Air Force Base. The study will create an addendum to the adopted 2010 Joint Land Use Study ( JLUS) between the City of Hampton and Langley Air Force Base and will also expand the "Place-Driven Analysis" section of this report. The addendum will provide an overall narrative to introduce sea level rise and resilience strategies. It will also include an Implementation Strategy that defines implementation actions and provides rough order of magnitude cost estimates. The Hampton-Langley JLUS Addendum will help solidify a path forward to the City of Hampton and Langley Air Force Base to identify and implement resilience strategies that ensure continued feasibility of base operations in the face of sea level rise and recurring flooding.
Phase II - Implementable Projects
Based on recommendations in this report, a geographic area will be selected as a 'pilot area.' An overall area plan will identify actionable steps and recommend pilot projects. Education and outreach efforts will continue forward, informing the work. Phase II will provide an opportunity to test and calibrate the evaluation tool. While a specific geographic area will be selected for the next phase, it does not preclude work in other areas of the city. Instead, this pilot area will provide an armature through which to demonstrate, measure, and revise the methodology established in this report. Atlas Water Economy The Hampton River supports a range of water-based commerce, including the local seafood industry, ------transport, and recreational activities. 96 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Index of Maps
95 Regional Corridors, Infrastructure, and Risk 96 Historic Maps 97 Historic Corridors and Development Patterns 98 Historic Structures 99 Foundation Type 100 Historic Shoreline 101 Shoreline Condition: 2017, 2050, 2070, 2100 102 Storm Surge 103 FEMA 100-Year Floodplain 104 Aerial 105 Elevation 106 Hydric Soils 107 Depth to Groundwater 108 Drainage Sheds 109 Drainage Infrastructure 110 Facilities at Risk 111 Public Property 112 Median Home Value 113 Median Income 114 Social Vulnerability Index 115 Repetitive Loss A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 97
Chesapeake Bay
Hampton Newport James River News
Norfolk
Virginia Beach Portsmouth Chesapeake
Regional Corridors, Infrastructure, and Risk 0'-8' Above Sea Level Industrial Zones The cities in the Hampton Roads region are linked through a network of waterways and transit corridors. A key natural harbor, the region's ports are critical 8'-13' Above Sea Level Interstate for both industry, trade, and national defense. Federal Facilities Secondary Roads 98 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
circa 1861 - 1865; Civil War map 1907 USGS map This Civil War era map illustrates the importance of proximity to Historic development patterns near the Hampton River and Old water for early development. Point Comfort are evident in the above map.
1944 USGS map 1965 USGS map Near the end of World War II, the city still centered on the bay and The modern development shown in this 1965 USGS map indicates Hampton River areas, with increasing density along the harbor. how development expanded into lowland areas as the city grew. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 99
Historic Corridors and Development Patterns 1860 Roads 1860 Development Many of Hampton's historic corridors still function as transportation arteries today. This map illustrates the development pattern of the city over time, moving 1907 Roads 1907 Development first along the coast, then inland and north from the harbor. 1944 Roads 1944 Development 1965 Roads 1965 Development 100 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Historic Structures 1720 - 1860 This map shows the expansion of the city through building age. Many of the facilities at Fort Monroe were constructed in the late 1800's, while the city saw 1860 - 1910 great expansion inland from 1910-1960. Early development preferenced either strategic coastal areas or higher ground. 1910 - 1960 Historic Districts A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 101
Foundation Type Basement Many inland structures are slab-on-grade or basement construction and have a higher risk of flooding as sea levels rise and storms become more frequent. Slab Raised / Crawl Space 100-Year Floodplain 102 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Historic Shoreline Current Shoreline The overlaid current shoreline, shown in red, indicates either the areas filled for human occupancy or lost to erosion. Many of the historic wetlands surrounding Historic Wetlands the creek, mapped in 1907, have been manipulated and the shoreline along the harbor has extended into the water. Today, the city of Hampton has an incredible Historic Water 124 miles of navigable waterfront. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 103
Shoreline Condition, 2017 Shoreline Condition, 2050 Current condition. Illustrating a predicted 2' of sea level rise at high tide.
Shoreline Condition, 2070 Shoreline Condition, 2100 Illustrating a predicted 3' of sea level rise at high tide. Illustrating a predicted 5' of sea level rise at high tide. 104 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Storm Surge Category 1 storm This map illustrates the maximum of the maximum modeled surge extents by category of storm. As shown, flooding extents from a category 4 storm would Category 2 affect much of the city, while a category 1 storm impacts areas around the coast, rivers, and creeks. Category 3 Category 4 A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 105
FEMA 100-Year Floodplain 100-Year Floodplain The area shown in blue on the map above indicates the extents of the 100-year floodplain, or the area that has a 1% annual chance of inundation. The 100-year floodplain corresponds with the National Flood Insurance Program; after major events, the extents of the floodplain main be reexamined and redefined based on new data. 106 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
UPDATE MAP (CORRECT WINDOW)
Aerial City Boundary This aerial imagery allows for clear delineation of density and land use as well as landscape type. Major corridors and protected open space can be seen cutting through Hampton. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 107
Elevation -1'- 0' 5'-6' 11'-12' The topography of Hampton, with its low elevations, exposes the reason for many flooding issues, but also illustrates the advantages of humans occupying this 1'- 2' 7'-8' 13'-14' landscape. The low wetlands with proximity to the bay and the higher ground on the harbor side allow for varied shore conditions. 3'-4' 9'-10' 15'+ 108 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Hydric Soils Not Hydric Hydric soils are those which formed under conditions of saturation, flooding, or ponding long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions. Partially Hydric Hydric soils are susceptible to subsidence if drained or dried. Non-hydric soils have greater capacity for subsurface water storage and green infrastructure. Hydric No Data A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 109
Depth to Groundwater 0' - 1' 4' - 5' The depth to groundwater is important when considering green infrastructure measures. The deeper the groundwater, the more storage can be accommodated in 1' - 2' 5'+ that area. Depth to groundwater corresponds to soil type, with non-hydric soils generally providing greater depth to groundwater. 2' - 3' No Data 3' - 4' 110 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Drainage Sheds The colored areas shown in the map above illustrate drainage sheds, or watersheds. These watersheds are tied together through their stormwater networks. Within a watershed, all rainwater drains in one direction to an outfall system. The arrows shown on the map above diagrammatically indicate the direction of flow. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 111
Drainage Infrastructure Drainage Line This drainage map indicates the current location of stormwater infrastructure and the relative size and capacity of those lines (the thicker the line, the greater the 100-Year Floodplain size/capacity). Much of the drainage system flows towards inland bodies of water such as Hampton River and Newmarket Creek. 112 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Facilities at Risk Public Safety A significant amount of public facilities are currently located in areas at risk for flooding. This map shows those assets which are located in the 100-year floodplain. Institution/Education/Social Several public safety facilities, such as fire and police stations, are vulnerable. Similarly, a wide range of institutions, from schools to municipal offices to 100-Year Floodplain community centers and health clinics, are also at risk. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 113
Public Property Fire Stations City of Hampton Publicly owned properties - municipal, state, and federal government - provide an opportunity for resilient Hampton Redevelopment Hampton School Board Housing Authority development. These sites can be used to demonstrate Economic Development Authority smart practices in different conditions: adaptation for low U.S. Federal Government Pump Stations lying properties, and stormwater storage for upland sites. Parks / Open Space 100-Year Floodplain 114 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Median Home Value > $348,000 $53,001-$127,000 As shown in the map above, the highest median home values are located in the coastal areas and the higher-elevation inland areas. $274,001-$348,000 < $53,000 $200,001-$274,000 No Data $127,001-$200,000 100-Year Floodplain A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 115
Median Income > $82,000 $24,001-$39,000 The areas with the highest income correlate to available jobs as well as historically wealthier neighborhoods. These areas typically are coastal in location or have easy $68,000-$82,000 < $24,000 access to major corridors. $53,001-$68,000 No Data $39,001-$53,000 100-Year Floodplain 116 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
Social Vulnerability Index Low Very High The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) refers to the resilience of communities when confronted by stresses such as natural or human-caused disasters or epidemics. Normal No Data Reducing social vulnerability can decrease both human suffering and economic loss. Areas where high vulnerability coincides with the floodplain can be High 100-Year Floodplain particularly hard-hit during storm events. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 117
Repetitive Loss Repetitive Loss Zone Areas of repetitive loss are those which have been inundated several times and received damage, which may have been covered by flood insurance. These areas Repetitive Loss Cluster should be addressed within a resilience citywide strategy. As shown on the map above, areas of repetitive loss frequently correspond with areas of recorded street Recorded Flooding flooding. 100-Year Floodplain Appendix Multilayered Systems In the foreground at bottom, historic Fort Monroe stands at the crossroads of regional waterways, while the beaches, harbors, and bridges of Hampton connect neighborhoods within the city, and link the city to the region, the east coast, and the rest of the country. 120 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Glossary:Talking About Water
10-year storm (10% storm) bioswale An event that has a 10% chance of occurring or being exceeded any A linear depression in the landscape constructed to slow and filter given year. Also known as a T10 storm, where the “T10” refers to the stormwater with vegetation and soil media. Bioswales can remove silts, return period. pollutants, and pathogens, and reduce the quantity of runoff from a site. 100-year storm (1% storm) An event that has a 1% chance of occurring or being exceeded any brackish water given year. Also known as a T100 storm, where the “T100” refers to A mix of freshwater and seawater found in places like estuaries and the return period. deltas. adaptation canal Adjustments to a changing climatic characteristics such as rising sea A man-made channel for water, often built as connections to larger levels. These may include structural changes such as the lifting of levees bodies of water. or the raising of homes, as well as changes in policy and management practices that reduce vulnerability and risk to communities. See also catch basin climate change . Also known as a storm drain or curb inlet, a catch basin is a receptacle that captures stormwater runoff, as well as solids and large anaerobic sediment, typically at the point where water passes from a gutter into a Absence of oxygen or growing in the absence of oxygen. Soils that are piped drainage system. heavy textured (clay), compacted, wet or flooded tend to be anaerobic because they have less oxygenated air to carry out oxidative reactions. catchment area Anaerobesis of soil is also responsible for widespread soil-borne An area where all runoff is conveyed to the same outlet, with Hydric soils diseases. in Hampton can be anaerobic. boundaries typically defined by ridges or other topography. See also watershed. base flood A flood with a 1% chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given climate change year. This regulatory standard is used by the National Flood Insurance Changes in temperatures, precipitation patterns, and the frequency Program (NFIP) and other federal agencies for determining flood of extreme weather events commonly linked to human activity. In insurance rates and regulating new development. Hampton, climate change has resulted in some of the highest rates of relative sea level rise in the world, and is likely to increase the intensity base flood elevation (BFE) of storms as well as instances of drought. An elevation (height) set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that measures the elevation to which floodwater is culvert anticipated to rise during a base flood. To receive FEMA funds in the A closed drain, pipe, or channel used to convey water (eg. from beneath case of storm damage, FEMA requires the lowest floor of the building a roadway from one side to another). to be at or above BFE. detention berm The holding of stormwater temporarily in a swale, detention A raised barrier dividing space, which may be used to prevent flooding basin, or other features. Water detention reduces peak discharge or erosion. Berms can be incorporated into landscape designs to create by allowing the slower and more controlled release of runoff, but does detention and retention basins. not allow for the permanent pooling or storage of water. best management practice (BMP) discharge A method or technique that consistently yields outcomes superior The emptying of stormwater runoff or sewage from the drainage to those achieved by other means and generally agreed upon by a system into a waterway. community of experts to be the most effective means of delivering a particular outcome. drainage canal An artificial channel built to drain an area with no natural outlet biofiltration for runoff. Government Ditch in Newport News is an example of The process of vegetation slowing down and filtering pollutants out of a drainage canal. A large portion of Newmarket Creek in western stormwater, improving the water quality. Hampton near Newport News also functions as a drainage canal. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 121
Dutch Dialogues Virginia: Life at Sea Level floodplain A workshop between held in 2015 that focused on sustainable water An area of typically flat land that is susceptible to inundation by water management and regional planning in Hampton and Norfolk. The from any source. Floodplains are typically fertile agricultural areas as a workshops were run by Waggonner & Ball and the Royal Netherlands result of nutrient-rich sediments deposited by floodwaters. Embassy in Washington D.C., and brought together US and Dutch experts trained in engineering, urban design, architecture, landscape floodwall architecture, city planning, and geohydrology. The workshop results A vertical barrier, usually made of concrete, constructed to contain were the basis for the work in this report. floodwaters from a river, lake, or sea in order to prevent flooding in urbanized areas. Floodwalls are used in densely developed areas ecological services, ecosystem services where building levees is not feasible, or atop levees in order to increase The beneficial products and processes provided to humanity by the the level of safety provided by the levee. In Hampton, part of Fort natural systems of the biosphere. These services include, but are not Monroe's perimeter is surrounded by a low floodwall. limited to, the production of clean water, crop pollination, waste decomposition, climate regulation, and recreational benefits. In floodgate stormwater management, for example, wetlands and urban forests A movable structure that can be opened or closed in order to adjust the provide these services in the form of pollutant bioremediation, flow of water through a canal, or to prevent the flow of water as part of evapotranspiration, and groundwater recharge. a levee and floodwall system. egress fluvial An established safe route to higher ground that is designed to stay Of or relating to rivers and streams, and the flooding, erosion, and soil dry and passable in the event of an emergency such as flooding. An deposition associated with these waterways. egress route could be a roadway that is above the base flood elevation, connecting a low lying area to a higher elevation so that people can freeboard evacuate. The distance between an established water level, such as abase flood elevation, and maximum water levels. This could apply to drainage elevation infrastructure, such as in a drainage canal or a retention basin, or to The altitude of a given location relative to sea level. a structure. The freeboard is used to calculate the capacity of a given water feature. Freeboard can also be considered the additional elevation estuary of safety. For example, if the lowest level of an elevated building was A partially-enclosed body of water where freshwater from rivers built to be two feet above the base flood elevation, it would have two and streams flows into the ocean, mixing with seawater and forming feet of freeboard. brackish water. Estuaries are rich habitats influenced by tides but protected from the direct impact of ocean waves and winds by geohydrology, hydrogeology surrounding land, wetlands, and barriers islands. The Chesapeake Bay The study ofgroundwater , including its flow and its physical and is the largest, and one of the most ecologically diverse, estuaries in the chemical interactions with soils and surface water. country.21 gray infrastructure first flush Traditional mechanisms for stormwater management and wastewater The initial stormwater runoff from a rain event. This typically has treatment, such as pipes and sewers. higher concentrations of pollutants such as organic debris, sediments, oil, and other surface pollutants that accumulate on rooftops and graywater roadways in the period before the storm. Wastewater generated from domestic activities such as dishwashing, laundry, or bathing. Properly treated, it can be recycled for other uses flood like irrigation. The temporary condition of inundation of what is usually dry land. Floods can be caused by an overflow of inland or tidal waters, or the green infrastructure rapid accumulation of stormwaer runoff in drainage ditches or inland An approach to stormwater management that utilizes natural processes waterways. Flash floods are floods that subside in fewer than six hours. to filter and reduce runoff. In contrast to gray infrastructure, green infrastructure can provide additional benefits such as improved air quality and more verdant streetscapes. 122 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
groundwater Water held in underground permeable rock or soil layers. When these infiltration layers hold enough water to be usefully extracted for human use, it is The passage of water into below-ground soil layers. The velocity at called an aquifer. which this occurs is called the infiltration rate, which is dependent on the composition of surface soil layers. Infiltration replenishes groundwater monitoring network groundwater and raises the water table. A system of wells, gauges, and data collection for tracking groundwater levels and quality. Such a network allows for a more comprehensive infrastructure understanding existing groundwater issues such as subsidence and Foundational systems and installations necessary to maintain and saltwater intrusion, and the management of soils and groundwater. enhance basic social, economic, governmental, economic, and military functions. These include drinking water systems, drainage systems, harden sewers, hurricane defenses, schools, transportation networks, electrical To make structures and utilities resistant to storms and natural hazards. grids, and telecommunications networks. hazard mitigation inundation Sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people Flooding, the overwhelming of an area by floodwaters. and their property from hazards and their effects. Hazard mitigation can include the building of levees, elevating of structures, or the levee relocation of assets. Improving urban water management is also a form A linear earthen ridge that divides areas hydrologically, and can be of hazard mitigation. used to protect inhabited areas from flooding. Many natural levees have been reinforced with additional soil, rock, concrete, and/or grass. hydraulics Levees are also known as dikes. An applied science that studies the properties of water and other fluids, especially in relation to the application of mechanical forces. The term LIDAR hydraulic indicates a system or activity involving fluid under pressure. Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) is a remote sensing method that uses a pulsed laser to measure variable distances to the earth. hydric soil LIDAR systems help scientists and mapping professionals examine A soil that formed under conditions of saturation, flooding, or both natural and manmade environments with greater accuracy. ponding long enough during the growing season to develop LIDAR is one of many tools used to create more accurate shoreline anaerobic conditions in the upper part of the soil layer. Hydric soils maps and digital elevation models. are commonly found in wetlands, and support unique landscapes, including vegetation that adapts to absorb oxygen from the atmosphere marsh rather than the soil. A wetland that is frequently inundated with water and characterized by soft-stemmed vegetation adapted to saturated soil conditions. hydrograph Nutrients are typically abundant, allowing plant and animal life to A chart that graphically describes the rate of flow - of water, for thrive in these areas. Marshes help reduce flood damage by slowing example - relative to a specific point over a period of time. A and storing flood water. As water moves slowly through a marsh, hydrograph can help in describing the contours of a rain event, and in sediments and other pollutants settle to the marsh floor. Some the planning and design of waterways and water control structures. municipalities are now building urban wetlands to harness these natural processes in cleaning stormwater and wastewater. hydrology Multiple Lines of Defense The study of the distribution, flow, and quality of water. This includes the water cycle, water resources, and watershed sustainability. The A core concept of the importance of naturally-occurring and manmade term hydrologic refers to the movement of water between land areas, features in protecting inhabited areas from the direct impact of storms. waterways, water bodies, and the atmosphere. Manmade features include levees, flood gates, pump stations, elevated structures, highways that serve as ridges, and hurricane evacuation impervious surface routes. Natural features include offshore shelves, barrier islands, sounds, A material or area that cannot be penetrated by water. This includes marsh land bridges, and natural ridges. most rooftops and structures like roads, sidewalks, and parking lots that are paved with concrete, asphalt, or stone. Impervious surfaces prevent rainfall from infiltrating into the ground and recharging groundwater, and accelerate runoff. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 123
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) pumping capacity A national program providing flood insurance to property owners. The The volume of water that a pump station can move over a given period NFIP also works to mitigate the impacts of flooding by encouraging of time, typically measured in cubic feet per second (cfs). floodplain management regulations and promoting the purchase of risk and flood insurance. The NFIP is run through the Federal Emergency rain garden Management Agency (FEMA). A shallow excavated basin that collects and cleans stormwater runoff on a small scale. Soil layers and plantings are designed for infiltration outfall and the removal of pollutants. The pipe, channel, or opening through which water is emptied into another body of water, such as a river or bay, or the location where such resilience discharge occurs. The capacity to anticipate potential threats, reduce a community’s vulnerability to hazard events, respond to and recover from specific oxidation hazard events when they occur, and adapt to changing risks and The decomposition and compaction of organic matter that occurs in hazards. In Hampton, resilience refers to the region’s ability to the presence of oxygen. Oxidation is a primary cause of subsidence in withstand and recover from major flooding and coastal storms. With areas where highly organic soils with lowered water tables are exposed climate change, the long-term future of the Hampton Roads region to oxygen. depends on the region’s ability to enhance its resiliency. peak rainfall repetitive loss The duration or point in a rain event when rain is falling at its highest "A repetitive loss (RL) property is any insurable building for which intensity. two or more claims of more than $1,000 were paid by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) within any rolling ten-year peak discharge period, since 1978. A RL may or may not be currently insured by The highest volume of stormwater runoff or sewage exiting the the NFIP. Currently, there are over 122,000 repetitive loss properties 22 drainage system and flowing into a waterway. nationwide." peak stage retention The highest level reached by water flowing through a channel, relative The holding of stormwater permanently in basins, ponds, or cisterns. Retention basins to a datum such as mean sea level. Improved stormwater management allow stormwater to infiltrate the ground, and can lower a canal’s peak stage. for the collected stormwater to be repurposed for other uses such as irrigation. periodic inundation/permanent inundation retrofit When water is present in a landscape, such as when designed for stormwater storage, occasionally and for a short amount of time, A measure taken to adapt existing infrastructure or buildings to compared to always being wet, such as in wetlands. operate more efficiently and effectively, without having to completely rebuild existing systems. pervious paving risk Materials for walkways, roadways, and parking lots that allow stormwater to be absorbed by the ground where it falls, reducing runoff A predictive measure of harm or loss due to the likelihood of a hazard into the drainage system. occurring, and the consequences of such an event. pluvial runoff (surface runoff) Of or relating to rainfall. Stormwater flowing from rooftops, streets, and other surfaces that neither infiltrates into the ground nor evaporates, but instead collects pump, pumping and must be drained away in order to prevent flooding. The mechanical removal of water from an area. When pumps remove saltwater intrusion groundwater in addition to stormwater, it can cause subsidence. When the flow of freshwater, such as from a river or groundwater in the soil, is not sufficient to balance the flow of saltwater from encroaching into aquifers. Normally, freshwater flows towards the sea, and prevents saltwater from dispersing farther inland. 124 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON
scarp swale A steep bank, slope, or cliff formed by folded or eroded layers of rock; A linear depression in the landscape constructed to slow or convey an escarpment. The Suffolk Scarp is the higher land that rises just stormwater. Some swales feature vegetation and soil media meant to west of Hampton and other areas along the eastern coast of southern slow and filter water; seebioswale . Virginia. tidal action sea level rise The process of fluctuating water levels between low and high tides. An increase in the mean sea level, caused by changes in air temperatures that are linked to global climate change. Sea level rise topography poses a growing risk to low-lying coastal communities. With land The position and elevation of natural and artificial features in an subsiding at high rates as well, coastal Virginia is experiencing some of area, and also the study of the surface shape and features of an area. the highest rates of relative sea level rise in the world. Topographic maps and models provide graphic representations of features that appear on the earth’s surface, including infrastructure and slow, store, discharge development, waterways and water bodies, relief (mountains, valleys, A new approach to stormwater management: slow water as it hits the slopes, depressions), and vegetation. ground, create spaces in the city to store water and use it as a resource, and discharge into larger water bodies when tides allow. water assignment The volume of stormwater for a given rain event that exceeds the stormwater total storage and pumping capacity of a catchment area. The water Commonly called rainfall, the water from precipitation (and snow or assignment provides a rough measure of flooding that may occur ice melt). Stormwater can infiltrate into the soil, remain on a surface if such an event were to occur, without taking into account finer and evaporate, or become runoff. variations in rainfall intensity and distribution that determine the actual impact of each rain event. stormwater management water balance Techniques, methods or policies that control planning, maintenance, and regulation of stormwater (rainfall). Stormwater management The calculation of the various inputs and outputs of water in an is critical in Hampton in order to prevent flooding and reduce area, including rainfall, groundwater withdrawals, drinking water subsidence. withdrawals, and both stormwater and sewage discharges. subsidence water literacy The sinking or compaction of land relative to sea level. Subsidence can An understanding of how water impacts and functions in a given be caused when stormwater is unable to penetrate the ground due to landscape—where water is coming from, how it is used, how it impervious surfaces, or by the excessive pumping of groundwater. As is stored, and risks and opportunities associated with water. The groundwater is removed, the soil from which it is drawn compresses community's water literacy is an important aspect of a sustainable and highly organic soil layers are able to oxidize. Subsidence water future for Hampton. damages buildings, streets, and other infrastructure, and its effects are water quality irreversible. *Note: subsidence in the Hampton Roads area might also A measure of how suitable water is for a particular type of use (such be due to soil compaction resulting from the bolide strike about 35 as drinking or bathing) based on physical, chemical, and biological million years ago. characteristics such as temperature, turbidity, mineral content, and the surge presence of bacteria. The rise in seawater caused by a storm. Surge is generated by the force water table of winds pushing water towards the shore. This is commonly referred The boundary between water-saturated soils and unsaturated soils. to as storm surge. Typically, deeper soil layers are saturated with water while those closer sustainability to the surface are drier. The water table is the depth between ground surface, or "grade," and groundwater. The ability to manage human and natural resources in a productive and holistic way in order to support future generations. Generally, watershed sustainability often refers to resource consumption, such as water or A land area, and distinct hydrological entity, where all water drains to energy, and global climate change. the same point. See also catchment area. A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 125
weir Barriers that alter the flow of waterways to prevent flooding, to store water, or for navigation purposes, while allowing the steady flow of water over the top of the structure. wetlands Ecosystems that are saturated with water, including bottomland hardwood forests, swamps, marshes, and bayous. The presence of water drives the nature of soil development, as well as characteristic plant and animal communities living in and above the soil. Wetlands are natural storm buffers that store and filter runoff. They are also habitats that support hundreds of thousands of species of plants and animals, as well as myriad fishing, hunting, agriculture, and recreational uses. Much of Hampton's natural ecosystems are comprised of wetlands. 126 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON Data Checklist
Political àà àà City/town boundaries Critical infrastructure àà àà Emergency response facilities (Fire, EOC, etc.) State/legislative boundaries àà àà Congressional boundaries Shelter facilities àà àà Critical facilities (hospitals, federal facilities of national à Concilmanic boundaries à State legal tools à significance, etc.) àà Local legal tools à Emergency routes
Demographics Risk à àà Population density à FEMA DFIRM àà àà FEMA repetitive loss à Population trends àà à Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) à SLOSH/MOMs modeling (storm surge) àà Diversity à Drainage system flood modeling àà àà Reported flooding/frequently flooded areas à Income àà à Employment access à SLR projections àà Home sales à Land loss/subsidence àà àà First floor elevations Major employers àà Commute patterns
Water Land/Property àà à Watersheds àà Parcels à Watershed studies àà àà Water bodies/hydrology à Buildings àà à Zoning à Wetlands àà Land use (future) à Tidal marsh inventory àà àà Navigation channels Planning districts àà Historic districts àà Land cover àà Impermeable surfaces Ground àà Landscape types àà àà LIDAR/DEM à Brownfields àà à Vacant sites à Contours àà Current/future development sites à Geology àà Soil classes àà Hydric soils Infrastructure àà Aquifers àà Shallow groundwater
àà Roads - centerline àà Roads - curb to curb àà Environmental à Other pavement (sidewalks, etc.) à Railroad à àà Transit routes à Critical habitats àà àà Fisheries à Port facilities àà à Drainage network à Hazardous/regulated facilities àà Drainage pumps à Shoreline erosion evaluation àà àà Shoreline inventory Drainage sheds àà Sewer networks àà Sewer lift and pump stations àà Sewer sheds Plans àà à Sewer treatment àà à Septic systems/areas à Community plan àà Water networks à Master plan/small area plans àà àà Regional transportation plan à Water treatment àà à Water towers à Regional SLR and storm surge impacts àà Oil & gas platforms à Joint land use studies ( JLUS) àà Oil & gas pipelines àà Gas distribution networks/corridors àà Electricity distribution networks/corridors àà Power plants & substations A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 127 Additional Resources
Related Projects, Tools, and Organizations
Projects Organizations
Dutch Dialogues Virginia: Life at Sea Level Adapt Virginia http://www.lifeatsealevel.org/ Virginia Institute of Marine Science http://www.adaptva.com/
Hampton Strategic Investment Areas www.hampton.gov/509/Strategic-Investment-Areas Systems Approach to Geomorphic Engineering http://www.sagecoast.org/
Tools Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency http://www.floodingresiliency.org/ Sea Level Rise Viewer NOAA Office for Coastal Management Center for Coastal Resources Management https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/slr Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) http://www.ccrm.vims.edu/ccrmp/index.html Native Plants for Southeast Virginia Virginia Coastal Zones Management Program Mitigation and Adaptation Research Institute (MARI) http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Portals/0/DEQ/ Old Dominion University CoastalZoneManagement/Native-Plants-for-Southeast-Virginia- http://www.mari-odu.org/ Guide.pdf
Stemming the Tide: How Local Governments Can Manage Rising Flood Risks Georgetown Climate Center http://www.georgetownclimate.org/reports/virginia-case-study- stemming-the-tide-how-local-governments-can-manage-rising-flood- risks.html
Who is doing what in Coastal Virginia? A Guide to Current Adaptation Efforts to Sea-Level Rise and Flooding Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) http://www.vacoastadapt.org/Whoisdoingwhat.pdf
Climate Change/Sea Level Rise Publications Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) http://www.vacoastadapt.org/
Sea Level Rise Adaptation Guide Wetlands Watch http://wetlandswatch.org/adaptation-guide-directory/ 128 LIVING WITH WATER HAMPTON References
Works Cited and Other Influential Texts
All images in this report are credited to the City of Hampton and Waggonner & Ball team, unless otherwise noted.
Introduction
1. "Geology." Chesapeake Bay Program. Accessed October 12, 2017. "History." City of Hampton. Accessed September 8, 2017. http://www. https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/ecosystem/bay_geology. hampton.gov/91/History.
2. "The Chesapeake Bay: Geologic Product of Rising Sea Level." "History: The Fort Monroe Story." Fort Monroe Authority. Accessed USGS. Accessed October 12, 2017. https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/ September 5, 2017. http://www.fmauthority.com/about/fort-monroe/ fs102-98/. history/.
3. "Virginia, Maryland Deleware And the District of Columbia. "Langley History." Air Power over Hampton Roads. Accessed Bachmann, John, 1861." David Rumsey Map Collection September 8, 2017. https://www.airpoweroverhamptonroads.com/ Cartography Associates. Accessed March 30, 2017. http://www. langley-history. davidrumsey.com/maps4087.html. "Langley Research Center." NASA. Accessed September 11, 2017. 4. "The naval engagement between the Merrimac and the Monitor https://spinoff.nasa.gov/spinoff2001/langley.html. at Hampton Roads on the 9th of March 1962." The New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 16, 2015. Lineberry, Denise. "Near-Earth Objects Impact Our Lives." NASA https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-7aa2-a3d9- Langley Research Center. August 29, 2013. Accessed September e040-e00a18064a99. 5, 2017. https://www.nasa.gov/larc/astronomical-impact-in-the- chesapeake-bay/. 5. "Atlantic Fleet at Hampton Roads, Virginia." The NEw York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 16, 2015. Schultz, Jim. "#NASALangley100: A Storied Legacy, A Soaring https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-3f26-a3d9- Future." Accessed September 11, 2017. https://www.nasa.gov/ e040-e00a18064a99. langley/100/a-storied-legacy-a-soaring-future.
6. "Special Delivery." Air Combat Command. Accessed Assessment: Best Data September 17, 2017. http://www.acc.af.mil/News/Photos/ igphoto/2000582879/. 10. "October flooding and storms, Hurricane Joaquin." Daily Press. 7. "A class in mathematical geography studying earth's rotation Accessed April 3, 2017. http://www.dailypress.com/news/politics/ aroundthe sun, hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia." Library dp-october-flooding-hurricane-joaquin-20151001-photogallery. of Congress. Accessed October 20, 2017. https://www.loc.gov/ html. item/98502977/. 11. Fudge, Joe. "Rainy Weather." Daily Press. Accessed November 10, 8. "Engineering, Aerodynamics, Testing, Wind Tunnel, USA, 2017. http://www.dailypress.com/news/weather/stormguide/dp- NACA/NASA, Langley Research Center (LaRC), Full Scale weather-20150202-001-photo.html. Tunnel (FST, 30x60-FT); Loening XSL-1. [Photograph]" Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Accessed 12. "Sea Level Rise Scenarios." Virginia Institute of Marine Science. October 28, 2017. https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/ Accessed October 28, 2017. http://www.vims.edu/newsandevents/ engineering-aerodynamics-testing-wind-tunnel-usa-naca-nasa- topstories/slr_scenarios.php. langley-research-0.
9. "SAGE III on ISS." NASA LaRC Flight Projects Directorate. How We Move Forward: Guiding Principles and Accessed November 6, 2017. https://fpd.larc.nasa.gov/sage-iii- Values photo-gallery.html. 13. "Hampton VA." Hampton Economic Development. Accessed "Emancipation Oak." Hampton University. Accessed September 8, January 10, 2018. http://www.hampton.gov/DocumentCenter/ 2017. http://www.hamptonu.edu/about/emancipation_oak.cfm. View/1375.
"Fort Monroe." City of Hampton. Accessed September 5, 2017. http:// Finneran, Michael. "City Honors NASA Langley for Storm www.hampton.gov/1912/History. Surge Impact Analysis Tool." NASA. February 25, 2014. Accessed September 1, 2017. https://www.nasa.gov/larc/city-honors-nasa- "Fort Monroe." National Park Service. Accessed September 8, 2017. langley-for-storm-surge-impact-analysis-tool/. https://www.nps.gov/fomr/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm.
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADDRESSING SEA LEVEL RISE AND RESILIENCY 129
Place-Driven Analysis
14. Dietrich, Tamara. "Hampton workshops teach homeowners "Pledge to become a Bay Star Home." Accessed September 19, 2017. how to help the Chesapeake Bay." Daily Press. August 11, 2017. http://askhrgreen.org/baystarhomes/. http://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws-cbf-hampton- workshops-20170811-story.html. "Southern Branch, Hampton Virginia." National Park Service. accessed November 6, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/veterans_ 15. Stewart, Melissa. "Virginia Governor Fast Tracks affairs/Southern_Branch.html. Commonwealth's Energy-Saving Plan." CoastalVirginiaMag. com. July-August 2016. http://www.coastalvirginiamag.com/July- Stephens, Ronald J. "Buckroe Beach, Hampton, Virginia (1890-)." August-2016/Virginia-Governor-Fast-Tracks-Commonwealths- BlackPast.org. Accessed September 13, 2017. http://www.blackpast. Energy-Saving-plan/. org/aah/buckroe-beach-hampton-virginia-1898.
16. Fudge, Joe. "Restoring marshy shoreline in Phoebus not an exact Wiltrout, Kate. "What's in a Name? Hampton's Phoebus." The science." Daily Press. May 28, 2016. http://www.dailypress.com/ Virgnian-Pilot. March 1, 2010. Accessed September 14, 2017. https:// news/hampton/dp-nws-hampton-sea-grass-planting-20160527- pilotonline.com/news/local/history/what-s-in-a-name-hampton-s- story.html. phoebus/article_aa089f99-ad5e-5e7f-a791-a9d12a2072bb.html.
17. "The Learning Barge." Elizabeth River Project. Accessed September 19, 2017. http://www.elizabethriver.org/learning- Atlas barge. "Hydric Soils - Introduction." Natural Resources Conservation Service 18. "The Fort Monroe Authority." Fort Monroe. Accessed September Soils. Accessed September 01, 2017. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/ 21, 2017. http://www.fmauthority.com/about/the-fort-monroe- portal/nrcs/detail/soils/use/hydric/?cid=nrcs142p2_053961. authority/. "Social Vulnerability Index." Social Vulnerability Index | U.S. Climate 19. "Fort Monroe." National Park Service. Accessed November Resilience Toolkit. January 30, 2017. Accessed August 31, 2017. 10, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery. https://toolkit.climate.gov/tool/social-vulnerability-index. htm?id=BFAB1CB6-155D-451F-67FAD761723B7918. 20. Detroit Publishing Co., Copyright Claimant. "Fort Monroe and Appendix entrance to Hampton Roads, Va." [Between 1900 and 1915] Photograph. Library of Congress. Accessed November 5, 2017. https://www.loc.gov/resource/det.4a10398/. 21. "The Chesapeake Bay: Geologic Product of Rising Sea Level." USGS. Accessed October 12, 2017. https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/ "About the Chamberlin." The Chamberlin. Accessed November 7, fs102-98/. 2017. http://www.historicchamberlin.com/about/#cHistory. 22. "National Flood Insurance Program: Frequently Asked Erickson, Mark St. John. "Pictures: Buckroe Beach Amusement Park Questions." FEMA. Accessed October 28, 2017. https://www. and Bay Shore Hotel."Daily Press. Accessed September 13, 2017. fema.gov/txt/rebuild/repetitive_loss_faqs.txt. http://www.dailypress.com/features/history/photos/dp-oldbuckroe-pg- photogallery.html. "Soil Terminology and Definitions." Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. "Historic Registers: City of Hampton (Tidewater Region)." Virginia https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/SAG-19 Department of Historic Resources. Accessed November 5, 2017. https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/register_Hampton.htm.
"History." Hampton University. Accessed November 6, 2017. http:// www.hamptonu.edu/about/history.cfm.
Murphy, Ryan. "Restoring marshy shoreline in Phoebus not an exact science." Daily press. May 26, 2016. Accessed September 19, 2017. http://www.dailypress.com/news/hampton/dp-nws-hampton-sea- grass-planting-20160527-story.html.